A Spokane Valley man intervened in a violent assault Wednesday morning and fired a shot at a stolen car’s tire in an effort to stop the suspect from fleeing, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 9:50 a.m. to a report of a man pointing a pistol at a vehicle near North Conklin Road and East Sprague Avenue.
When they arrived, they learned the man with the gun was a bystander who had stepped in to stop an attack on a woman and ended up preventing the suspect’s escape.
According to investigators, the Good Samaritan was with his wife and daughter when he saw 36-year-old William C. Morris allegedly “beating” a woman near the road.
The witness confronted Morris, told him police had been called, and tried to block him from driving away in a black Kia Soul—later confirmed as stolen from Seattle.
The Good Samaritan told deputies that Morris ignored his commands to stay and accelerated the Kia toward him.
Fearing he was about to be hit, the man drew his handgun.
Morris then lurched the vehicle forward again, prompting the man to step aside and fire one shot, hitting the front driver’s side tire.
Morris fled the scene in the damaged Kia.
The woman he was allegedly assaulting was last seen walking away westbound on Sprague.
A coordinated search involving Spokane Valley Deputies, Liberty Lake Police, and Spokane County Deputies quickly followed.
Officers found the stolen Kia abandoned near Sprague and Barker and detained a man matching Morris’s description walking west on Sprague.
Deputies also located the female victim a short distance away.
She had accepted a ride from Morris earlier that day, but they began arguing, which escalated into physical violence, investigators said.
The victim declined serious medical attention.
Authorities say Morris traveled to Spokane from Seattle in the stolen vehicle.
He was booked into Spokane County Jail on charges of first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and fourth-degree assault.
He also had an outstanding King County warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle and is being held pending extradition.
The Good Samaritan and his family fully cooperated with investigators and were released without charges.
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