Police Department

Female Arrested After Pointing Firearm at STA Driver, Firing Toward Bar Patron

Ofc. Xenon Berkeley, PIO

Monday, December 13, 2021 at 7:39 a.m.

Female Arrested After Pointing Firearm at STA Driver, Firing Toward Bar Patron

On December 10, 2021 at about 11:15pm, Spokane Police officers responded to the 500 block of W Sprague Ave in Downtown Spokane for the report of a shooting. A Spokane Transit Authority driver advised a female had pointed a gun at him. SPD also received reports from patrons at a bar in the area that a female had fired a gun at someone following an argument.

Officers contacted the victims and witnesses of the incident. The bus driver told officers he was taking a break in that area when the female, identified as 28 year old Savanna Merrill, approached him and demanded he apologize to her. He did not know Merrill. The female became physically aggressive so the driver retreated inside of his bus. The female pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the driver. She then walked away toward a bar. The bus driver heard gunshots shortly after and drove away quickly.

Others at the bar reported Merrill confronted a random patron. She pulled out a firearm, pointed it at the male, and fired one round in the direction of his face. Neither the STA driver nor the bar patron were injured during this incident.

A bouncer at the bar wrestled the gun away from Merrill and began to detain her. When officers attempted to detain Merrill, she became assaultive. She kicked two officers as she continued to physically struggle. Officers were able to take Merrill into custody without a use of force or her sustaining any injuries.

Merrill was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail for two counts of Assault-1^st Degree and one count of Assault-3^rd Degree. Savanna had no prior criminal history. Anyone with further information on this incident who has not already spoken with law enforcement is asked to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233 and reference case #2021-20211737.

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