SPOKANE COUNTY, WA — A man driving a stolen vehicle was arrested early Saturday morning after reportedly trying to provoke a Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy into a pursuit, authorities said.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy was traveling north on Freya Street around 3:10 a.m. on July 5 when a vehicle rapidly approached from behind, flashing its high beams and following closely. The deputy pulled over and activated his emergency lights. As the vehicle passed, the deputy checked its license plate and learned the Pontiac had been reported stolen the night before, around 9:30 p.m.
The driver, later identified as 40-year-old Louis Mendez III, did not pull over and instead began driving erratically—drifting between lanes, making circular motions with his arm out the window, and slowing well below the speed limit…