ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Newly obtained body camera footage shows the moments a Kittitas County Sheriff’s deputy avoided what could have been a dire situation when a wanted man threw lighter fluid at the deputy.
The incident happened on Aug. 24 around 9:30 p.m. A deputy saw a red van parked on the shoulder of SR 821 in the Yakima River canyon. On body camera footage, the deputy can be seen approaching the vehicle, asking if the person inside needed help.
The deputy told the man, who was sitting in his backseat, that he wasn’t in trouble.
The man said he was okay, gave the deputy his name when asked, and the deputy left.
That same deputy returned about 10 minutes later after running the man’s name and learning he had a few warrants out for his arrest.
Body cam footage shows the deputy asking the suspect to step out of the vehicle, and the suspect just kept quietly saying that he didn’t feel well.
The deputy asked how he could help him and asked “can you talk to me a little bit, [name]?”
Then, without warning, the suspect tossed a liquid at the deputy.
The deputy moves back from the van, calls in the incident and says “he just sprayed me with lighter fluid!”
The deputy yells that the suspect is under arrest, but he moves toward the driver side of the car.
Video then shows the deputy deploying his taser, which sparks on residual lighter fluid. It’s unclear if it’s the car or the suspect that catches on fire, but the fire was put out within seconds.
He was able to drive off and led police on a brief chase.
Other agencies responded and used a PIT maneuver to stop the suspect. He was taken into custody around 10 p.m.
Neither the suspect nor the deputy were injured.
He was booked for his previous warrants in Chelan County, Spokane and Union Gap, and was booked on felony eluding and attempted murder for the recent interaction.
Bail was set at $1 million.
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