SPOKANE, WA – A 37-year-old man is in custody after Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop a stolen vehicle late Saturday night following a pursuit monitored by the agency’s Air 1 helicopter.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the incident began on September 13, 2025, around 9:30 p.m. when deputies were alerted to stolen license plates through an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system near North Regal Street and East Magnesium Road. A check revealed the plates had been taken earlier that day from a black 2007 Hyundai in Spokane and swapped with plates from a 2011 Hyundai reported stolen in Moses Lake on September 4.
Air 1 located the stolen vehicle near Francis Avenue and North Smith Street. Deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the driver, identified as Jose C. Nunez, fled at speeds of 45–55 mph, ignoring stop signs and traffic laws. A female passenger in the vehicle told deputies she repeatedly asked to be let out but was refused, making her a victim of false imprisonment…