Woman accused of kidnapping local car dealer during test drive

SPOKANE, Wash. — A woman is accused of kidnapping a dealer while on a test drive, then leading Spokane Police on a chase.

Sergeant Terry Preuninger said 32-year-old Kasandra Ayala was arrested and charged with kidnapping, taking a motor vehicle without permission and several counts of assault.

An employee at Dave Smith Nissan called police at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, saying he was on a test drive with a couple and the driver refused to return the car or let him out of the vehicle. The employee stayed on the phone and continued to update police on the location of the car.

Officers quickly located the car and tried to pull it over. Police said Ayala would not stop, but continued at a slow speed. Meantime, officers kept getting updates from the victim, who was still inside and unable to get out.

The victim told police Ayala was saying she would not pull over and he thought she was going to harm him. The police dispatcher could hear Ayala in the background and said she was talking about knowing the police were on the phone, but said she would not pull over.

A low-speed chase continued, and Ayala pulled into a parking lot. Officers said they tried to block the car, but Ayala avoided patrol cars and backed out onto the street.

Police said Ayala started to speed up in the area of 14th and Latawa, which is a dead end. Officers attempted to block the car, but said Ayala then drove through and struck three patrol cars.

Officers said the situation became dangerous for the victim in the car and the public, so a sergeant used his vehicle to strike the car and ended the incident.

The suspect and an officer both suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for evaluations.

Three SPD black and whites, as well as the sergeant’s vehicle, were damaged.

Ayala appeared in court on Monday and a judge set her bond at $20,000.

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