PULLMAN, Wash. — Pullman police arrested a man accused of causing an explosion that sparked a fire in his apartment complex and sent ten different law enforcement agencies on a chase to the Idaho border.
It all started on Sunday, October 5, at around 5:30 p.m.
Pullman Police, Pullman Fire, Moscow Fire, and Whitman County Fire District 12 responded to a fire at an apartment complex along Northwest Larry Street.
Police say that although no one was injured, the three-story apartment building was severely damaged.
Pullman Transit took displaced residents to Pullman Presbyterian Church, and an American Red Cross shelter was established at the Pullman Senior Center.
According to the City of Pullman Police Department, officers learned that 40-year-old Elijah Regan, who lived at the complex, may have intentionally caused an explosion within his unit.
As a precaution, the Spokane County Bomb Squad was called out to the scene.
Just after 8 p.m., a Whitman County Sheriff’s deputy saw Regan’s car on State Route 194.
“Pullman Police, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, and Washington State Patrol entered a vehicle pursuit,” wrote Pullman PD. “Regan was driving erratically and at excessive speeds. At 8:34 p.m., a Pullman Police negotiator made telephone contact with Regan. He eventually agreed to pull over and continue negotiations by phone. He stopped just over the Idaho state line, at the junction of SR 195 and Highway 95.”
According to Pullman PD, Whitman County Regional SWAT Team, Lewiston PD SWAT Team, Idaho State Police, Washington State Patrol, Washington State University Police Department, Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, Moscow Police Department, Latah County Sheriff’s Office, Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Pullman Police Department all staged nearby.
After a lengthy standoff, police confirm the suspect surrendered peacefully.
Regan was taken into custody at 11:41 p.m. He was booked into the Nez Perce County Jail on charges of first-degree arson and attempting to elude pursuing police vehicles.
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