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Deputy shot and injured during chase for robbery suspect, police say

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. — A Grant County deputy was shot while chasing after a robbery suspect early Wednesday, Moses Lake police said.

Police said they were searching for a known suspect, who reportedly committed two robberies in Moses Lake on Tuesday.

Grant County deputies found the man just after midnight in the Ephrata area and performed a traffic stop, law enforcement said. The suspect then fled and began firing a gun at deputies out his car window.

Police said the man was armed with an AR-15 type rifle and a handgun, both of which were fired at deputies and Ephrata police who joined in the chase.

A deputy was shot near the intersection of Nat Washington Way and Basin Street, police said. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Another deputy’s vehicle was hit by gunfire, and he was not injured, authorities said.

Police said the suspect continued driving outside of the city of Ephrata, driving up Road 19 Northeast, which is where a deputy performed a PIT maneuver and caused the man’s vehicle to spin out in a field.

He tried to flee on foot but was quickly captured and arrested, police said.

Police said the man had committed two armed robberies just after 2 p.m. in Moses Lake. He walked into one business in the 200 block of West Broadway and one in the 1000 block of West Broadway, demanding cash and pointing a gun at cashiers.

The robberies happened within minutes of each other, police said.

Police said almost immediately the suspected robber was identified, as he had made no attempt to hide his identity during the robberies.

The suspect was booked into the Grant County Jail on two robbery counts.

As for the deputh who was shot, Deputy Sheriff Jeff Wentworth, he was released from the hospital at 3 a.m. and is at home recovering and will require surgerty to his foot.

The investigation remains ongoing.