Man leads police on high speed chase through Spokane Valley

April 30, 2019 8:50 PM

Danny Palomba

Posted: April 30, 2019 8:50 PM

Updated: May 20, 2021 9:41 AM

by Danny Palomba

Man leads police on high speed chase through Spokane Valley

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — On April 29 just after 9:00 p.m., Spokane Valley Sergeant Jeff Thurman was traveling south on Pines near Alki when he heard Detectives request assistance. He activated his emergency lights and turned around.

Now traveling north on Pines, he observed a white Suzuki GSXR ahead of him traveling very fast and it only continued to accelerate.

The driver, later identified as 29-year-old Jacob G. Kagele, appeared to run a red light at Broadway as he turned east. Sergeant Thurman activated his siren and turned east with a green light. Kagele passed another vehicle traveling east by recklessly swerving into the westbound lanes in excess of 80 mph.

With clear roads and no pedestrian or vehicle traffic, Sergeant Thurman decided to continue for a short distance with the hope he could get a license plate number, or Kagele would stop.

Sergeant Thurman noticed sparks coming from the rear tire area of the motorcycle and it began to slow dramatically. Kagele came to a stop shortly thereafter. As Sergeant Thurman stopped behind the bike, he noticed the chain had separated from the sprocket, disabling the motorcycle and ending Kagele’s attempt to flee.

As Kagele was taken into custody, he uttered, “I f****d up and ran because I have a warrant.”

A check of Kagele’s name showed a misdemeanor warrant for Driving While Suspended 3rd Degree, but it was not extraditable from Spokane County. It also showed Kagele’s driving privileges were still suspended.

During a search after his arrest, a baggie containing a black tar-like substance was located in Kagele’s jacket. The substance was later field tested and showed a presumptive positive result for Heroin.

Kagele was transported and booked into the Spokane County Jail for Attempting to Elude, Possession of a Controlled Substance-Heroin and Driving While Suspended 3rd Degree.

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