Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
State vehicle catches fire during stop
A firefighter sprays water on a burning asphalt truck stolen from Washtunca and stopped on Interstate 90 between Ritzville and Sprague.
RITZVILLE - A West Richland man is facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing an asphalt truck from the state Department of Transportation's Washtucna shop Tuesday, Sept. 19, and leading law enforcement on a chase that ended miles away.
Lance Rogers, 31, was arrested and transported to a Yakima-area hospital after he was apprehended following the pursuit that ended with the stolen truck catching fire.
He remained in custody at the hospital at press time. He is facing charges of first-degree robbery, three counts of first-degree attempted robbery, six counts of second-degree assault, theft of a motor vehicle, aiming/discharging firearms, third-degree malicious mischief, driving while under the influence, attempting to elude and second-degree assault, according to the Adams County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
"There are several different crimes that are being investigated," Sheriff Dale Wagner said via social media. "Investigators have multiple victims and witnesses to the incident."
The Washington State Patrol reported that the arrest stemmed from a 7:15 a.m. altercation on state Highway 26 near Washtucna in which a man - later identified as Rogers - fired a gun at a truck driver; a bullet struck a window.
The patrol then received a report that a state asphalt truck was stolen from Washtucna, records show. The suspect displayed a gun and fled north on state Highway 261 toward Ritzville.
The truck avoided two or three sets of spikes, according to Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick.
When the suspect neared Ritzville, the state patrol requested a school lockdown. "I called the Ritzville schools and put them in lockdown status," McCormick said. "At that point, everybody with a kid at the school got a text message or phone call or both. So people were very concerned. Rumors started to fly about a shooter at the school. It created quite a panic."
Students were never in danger, McCormick said.
"The suspect was no closer to the school than the Wellsandt I-90 overpass, a least a mile from the school. We didn't know where the suspect was going to go, so it was just a precaution."
McCormick also received a request for police officer Robert Dew, who was just south of Ritzville, to attempt to spike the truck.
The patrol dispatcher reported that the suspect had been pointing a gun out the truck window, so everybody needed to take cover, McCormick said.
"Officer Dew set up at the junction of Heineman Road and S.R. 261, about a mile south of Ritzville," he said, noting Dew found a large embankment and as soon as the truck approached, he pulled the spikes.
"Rob believes he disabled both front tires," McCormick said. "Because the truck was a 2-ton vehicle with a 1,500-gallon tank of hot asphalt oil, our set of spikes was completely destroyed."
The truck then headed east on Interstate 90. With both front tires blown out, the truck was driving on rims with sparks flying. At about milepost 225, the vehicle stopped in the middle of the eastbound road and erupted into flames, McCormick said.
Rogers tried to escape from the passenger side of the truck, but was arrested about 8:10 a.m., records show, noting he was transferred to a Yakima hospital for related injuries. During a subsequent search of the truck, a handgun was recovered, records show.
Rogers is also a suspect "in multiple crimes including drive-by shooting," Wagner said.
The Sheriff's Office's K-9, Nado, was called in for the arrest, but did not bite the suspect, records show.
Wagner credited the partnership between his office, the State Patrol and Ritzville police for ending the pursuit quickly.
"Great work by all agencies," he said.
Roger Harnack is owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
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