SPOKANE — Spokane police said they have arrested 14 young people after a series of attacks perpetrated against victims downtown and in Riverfront Park over the past two weeks. And they’re looking for more.
Spokane police Chief Craig Meidl and Mayor Nadine Woodward described from a news conference at the downtown police precinct Thursday a scourge of armed juveniles “roaming in packs looking to prey on other people” in the city’s downtown core.
The suspects, some of whom are as young as 14, are allegedly responsible for four attacks between March 29 and Tuesday, police said.
“The juveniles we’re talking about that are preying on other people are very sophisticated with what they’re doing,” Meidl said. “They are roaming the streets with pepper spray, with guns, with knives, with other weapons and other tools, and after they commit these acts, they’re changing clothes and splitting up and going in different directions, so they’re very intentional and deliberate in what they’re doing.”
The majority of the teens who participated in the attacks have been arrested, and police know who the outstanding suspects are, Meidl said.
Many of them are suspected of being involved in other criminal acts in Spokane, Meidl said.
“If they come downtown, because we know who they are, I anticipate they will be quickly arrested,” he said. “If they don’t come downtown, I would assure you that we are looking for them and we will find them.”
Some of those arrested have claimed to be in gangs, though the attacks have not necessarily been gang-related, said downtown precinct Capt. Dave Singley. Officers have made arrests in each of the incidents , he said.
Singley said the attacks are part of a larger uptick in violent crimes downtown in 2023.
Meidl also described the attacks as part of a larger trend throughout the state.
“I would tell you anecdotally, it does feel like over the last several years we’ve seen an intensity in the level of violence by juveniles now,” he said. “There is a feeling across the state of an increased level of intensity and violence — and willingness to do violence — that we’re seeing from juveniles.”
The first incident, on March 29, occurred near the downtown Spokane library after a man was stabbed, pepper sprayed, punched “and stomped on the ground” by a large group of people, Singley said. Eight people between the ages of 16 and 24 were arrested on suspicion of felony assault and criminal mischief.
On April 5, a man was attacked and robbed by three teens near the skate park north of the river in Riverfront Park. One 15-year-old was arrested for first-degree robbery, Singley said.
On Sunday, a group of 12 is suspected of hitting and pepper spraying a man in Riverfront Park before taking a bag from him. A 15-year-old and 22-year-old were arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery, Singley said.
Most recently, two people were attacked on the Monroe Street Bridge on Tuesday after a group of five teens approached them. They stole a bag from one of the victims and stabbed the other multiple times. Spokane police officers arrested one 14-year-old and two 16-year-olds in the West Central neighborhood on suspicion of robbery and assault.
Meidl and Woodward took the time to praise the police department’s recent reorganization, which doubled the number of police officers in the downtown area to about six on duty. The reorganization effort has been a major deterrent to crime in downtown areas, Woodward said.
The reorganization went into effect on Jan. 8.
“Since the transition, SPD has seen some very encouraging early progress as a result of the additional officers in additional neighborhoods,” Woodward said. “That progress includes quick arrests of numerous juveniles who have been behind much of the violence and disruption to families, employees, businesses and visitors trying to enjoy downtown areas.”
Woodward claimed a 60% decrease in reported vehicle prowls downtown between the first three months of 2023 compared to the first three months of 2022. Woodward also hailed the police department’s violent crimes task force work this year, which includes making 20 felony arrests, four of whom were juveniles downtown.
Woodward blamed the violence and property crimes, in part, on public drug use and illegal drug possession, which she has campaigned against in her “Safe Open Spaces Act,” which would criminalize public drug use in the city of Spokane. A consideration of the ordinance was delayed this week by Spokane City Council.
Despite the arrests and the police department’s reorganization, Meidl said his department still needs more officers on the street. There are 21 vacancies in the department, he said.
Meidl also appealed to community members to “step up” to prevent criminal behavior among young people.
“We need to have parents involved in every aspect of their life,” he said. “Who they’re hanging out with, who they’re associated with and where they are.
“We need mentors, we need teachers, we need coaches to be involved and expressing the values that we all want to live in a safe community. We can’t do this alone. We need that community engagement.”
