LEWISTON – On February 24th, at approximately 12:45 PM, a Lewiston Police Officer was completing the administrative duties associated with an abandoned vehicle when he was alerted by the Axon Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system installed in his vehicle that the license plate of a stolen vehicle was just scanned. The officer observed a black Toyota 2-door sedan pass his patrol vehicle at the same time he was alerted. The officer confirmed the license plate scanned by the ALPR system matched the license plate of the Toyota 2-door sedan. The officer then confirmed with Lewiston Police Department dispatchers that the vehicle was stolen out of Spokane, WA.
The officer conducted a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle in the 2300 block of 3rd Ave. N. The stolen vehicle fled the officer and began travelling westbound in the eastbound lane of traffic towards the intersection of 3rd Ave. and US Hwy 12. The officer did not pursue the vehicle as it was driving erratically in the wrong lane of traffic. The officer remained in the westbound lane of traffic behind several vehicles that were stopped for the red traffic light. The stolen vehicle continued through the intersection in the wrong lane of traffic while the traffic light was red. The stolen vehicle then crashed into two (2) vehicles that were traveling southbound through the intersection on US Hwy 12.
After observing the stolen vehicle crash in the intersection, the officer responded to the scene. The officer noticed 41-year-old Thomas Curd, of Spokane, WA, climb out the sunroof of the stolen vehicle. Curd then began running from the scene of the crash westbound. The officer followed Curd in his patrol vehicle. Curd fell while running across 22nd St. N. The officer exited his patrol vehicle and took Curd into custody. As this was happening, 30-year-old Nicole Kalousek exited the passenger seat of the stolen vehicle and attempted to walk away from the crash scene. Nicole refused to comply with officers’ commands and resisted officers as they attempted to take her into custody…