Police Department

SPD arrests vehicle prowler suspect with long criminal history.

Julie Humphreys, Public Safety Communication Manager, Spokane Police and Fire

Friday, March 4, 2022 at 12:33 p.m.

The video below was captured by a business security camera at the 100 block of S Wall. An individual can be seen passing a vehicle twice before rapidly approaching the car, breaking the window, and stealing items from within. The business which provided the video also reported multiple other break-ins in the area.

A downtown Neighborhood Resource Officer recognized the individual based on prior contacts. Based on the video evidence, the suspect was arrested for vehicle prowling, theft, and malicious mischief. The suspect, Glen W. O’Brien -45-, was booked into jail on 03-02-22 just after 4PM.

The individual has an extensive criminal history which includes 47 felony convictions and more than 225 local arrests spanning the past twenty-some years. The vast majority of the arrests have been in the downtown area, and over half have been for property crime offenses.

Due to the pattern of criminal behavior exhibited by O’Brien, City Prosecutors vehemently opposed his release from jail. Those objections were not heeded and O’Brien was released on his own recognizance by the court the following day.

SPD is committed to not only holding individuals who commit a crime accountable, but also to helping address underlying causes of criminal behavior. In 2021, SPD assembled a homeless outreach team to connect those experiencing homelessness with resources and shelters. The week before this incident, the suspect was cited for reckless burning related to a fire in a viaduct. An outreach team member offered to refer him to services but O’Brien  indicated he was not homeless and refused any help or resources.

SPD is seeing a drastic increase in vehicle prowling incidents, especially in the downtown area. In the first two months of this year (01-01-22 to 02-26-22) vehicle prowling downtown is up 441.7% compared to the same time period last year.

Please remember to lock your vehicles, take any valuables with you, and store any other items of worth out of view.

SPD will continue to investigate these incidents in an attempt to hold offenders accountable and lower the rate of victimization.

Watch a video of the suspect breaking into a car.

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