PULLMAN, WA – Emergency crews responded to an apartment fire Sunday evening that led to the arrest of a suspect following a police pursuit and standoff.
At approximately 5:38 p.m. on October 5, Pullman Police and Fire, Moscow Fire, and Whitman County Fire District 12 were dispatched to an active fire at an apartment complex in the 100 block of NW Larry Street. Responders evacuated residents as Pullman Fire worked to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported, but the three-story building sustained severe damage.
Displaced residents were transported by Pullman Transit to Pullman Presbyterian Church. An American Red Cross shelter was later established at the Pullman Senior Center.
During the response, Pullman Police received information that a resident, identified as 40-year-old Elijah Regan, may have intentionally caused an explosion inside his apartment. Officers began efforts to locate him, and the Spokane County Bomb Squad was called to the scene as a precaution.
At 8:04 p.m., a Whitman County Sheriff’s deputy spotted Regan’s vehicle. Pullman Police, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, and Washington State Patrol engaged in a pursuit. Police said Regan drove erratically and at high speeds.
At 8:34 p.m., a Pullman Police negotiator made phone contact with Regan. He eventually agreed to stop his vehicle just over the Idaho state line at the junction of SR 195 and Highway 95, near the top of the Lewiston Hill, where negotiations continued. Highway 195 was closed in the area.
Members of multiple agencies, including the Whitman County Regional SWAT Team, Lewiston Police SWAT Team, Idaho State Police, Washington State Patrol, Washington State University Police Department, Moscow Police Department, and sheriff’s offices from Whitman, Latah, and Nez Perce counties, staged nearby.
After a prolonged standoff, Regan surrendered without incident 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.
Pullman Police thanked assisting agencies for their roles in resolving the incident.
