The Liberty Lake Police Department mounted an aggressive response when 11 car break-ins were reported in one night last Thursday. By the end of the day they had identified three suspects and sent 20 officers to canvass the parking lots of hotels and large apartment complexes close to Interstate 90 to hunt for the thieves. Two of the three suspects were nearly arrested early last Thursday, but a bit of luck and a new police radio system that hasnt been fully integrated allowed them to get away, said Police Chief Brian Asmus. A Washington State Patrol trooper spotted a

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The Liberty Lake Police Department mounted an aggressive response when 11 car break-ins were reported in one night last Thursday. By the end of the day they had identified three suspects and sent 20 officers to canvass the parking lots of hotels and large apartment complexes close to Interstate 90 to hunt for the thieves.

Two of the three suspects were nearly arrested early last Thursday, but a bit of luck and a new police radio system that hasnt been fully integrated allowed them to get away, said Police Chief Brian Asmus.

A Washington State Patrol trooper spotted a car driving oddly on Harvard Road at 4 a.m. last Thursday and attempted to pull it over. The car sped away and wrecked near Harvard and Euclid. The man and woman inside ran away as the trooper called for backup. Police are using a new digital radio system, but it hasnt yet been set up to allow different agencies to talk to each other, Asmus said. No Spokane County deputies or Liberty Lake officers were notified of the troopers call for assistance, but a Liberty Lake officer happened to drive by on his way to a call and stopped to help.

They got away, said Asmus. The car, from what we can see, is full of stolen property related to our car prowls.

A stolen credit card led police to a Zip Trip gas station, where police used video surveillance to identify a woman and two men getting gas and lottery tickets, said Detective Ray Bourgeois.

The group seems to prefer stealing from cars parked at hotels and large apartment complexes, Bourgeois said. Stolen credit cards have been used to buy gas and to shop at local Wal-Marts. Bourgeois said the same group appears to be responsible for dozens of other break-ins in Spokane, Airway Heights, Spokane Valley and at the Spokane Airport. A recent rash of break-ins in Coeur dAlene may also be related.

These guys have been all over the county, Bourgeois said. I know the Valley has been hit pretty hard.

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Liberty Lake police close in on vehicle prowl suspects - Tue, 25 Mar 2014 PST