Police Department

Multiple Police Injured During Arrests

Julie Humphreys, Public Safety Communication Manager, 509.625.5868

Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 2:34 p.m.

Five SPD Officers responding to two different calls on Saturday 08/17/24, suffered minor injuries while arresting uncooperative suspects.

In the first incident, at around 12:45pm, police responded to a disorderly person at a park in the 3100 block of E. 27th Ave in the Lincoln Heights area during a community event. A female was yelling profanities at little children while they were trying to play on the playground. When officers arrived the female continued yelling profanities and ignored encouragement from officers to refrain from cursing at the park. The decision was made to detain the female for disorderly conduct. During the detention she resisted and fought multiple officers, kicking one in the head and scratching him. The female also spit in the face of another officer. It took multiple officers and the WRAP restraint device to successfully arrest the suspect. The officer who was kicked was examined at an area hospital for a possible head injury and was cleared to return to work.

Patricia A. Schauman (33) was booked into the Spokane County Jail for Disorderly Conduct, Resisting Arrest, and 2 counts of 3^rd Degree Assault. She remains in jail as of this writing on a $3,500 bond ($2,500 related to this case).

In the second incident in which officers were injured, police responded to a possible DV in progress near Liberty Park in the 500 block of S. Pittsburg around 1:30pm. They arrived and developed probable cause to arrest a female for 4^th Degree Assault DV after learning she hit a male, threw rocks at him, and put him in a choke hold. As officers were detaining the female, she fought and bit one officer on the arm and kicked another.  A third officer injured his back during the altercation with the female. Again, it took multiple officers and the WRAP restraint device to successfully take the suspect into custody. While in the back of a patrol car, the suspect continued to thrash around, slamming her head on a partition in the vehicle and kicking a back seat door.  The officer with the back injury was out for the rest of his shift.

Nika F. Labeaf (19) was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail for 3 counts of 3^rd Degree Assault, Resisting Arrest, and 1 count of 4^th Degree Assault DV. She remains in jail as of this writing on a $5,000 bond.

Officers are increasingly faced with situations like the above as they make every attempt to de-escalate resistive subjects. These incidents take extra time and when an officer is injured it effects his or her ability to continue their shift. Both these incidents happened within the first 2 hours of the officers 10-plus hour shifts. We are grateful no officers were more seriously hurt.

 

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