Additional suspects still at large
SPOKANE VALLEY – Two suspects, Shawn D. Cranford, 45, and Elissia M. York, 23, were apprehended on April 13 for their involvement in an armed robbery and auto theft at a parking lot on East Indiana Avenue at North Evergreen Road.
Spokane Valley Deputies responded to the scene following a report from the female owner of a stolen black Chevrolet Tahoe and a male victim. They recounted arriving from Montana and leaving a nearby store when the incident occurred.
The female victim was arranging items in the hatchback when the vehicle unexpectedly started, causing her to fall out. She observed Cranford in the driver’s seat, assaulting the male victim in the passenger seat. Meanwhile, York, wearing a black mask and driving a maroon SUV, urged Cranford to flee the scene. Another male suspect entered the back cargo area of the stolen Tahoe as it sped away.
The male victim reported that Cranford brandished a handgun and struck him with it during the altercation. A pocketknife dropped by a second male suspect during the incident was recovered.
A Washington State Patrol Trooper possibly located the stolen Tahoe near Knox and Argonne Road, with Cranford driving recklessly. Pursued by authorities, Cranford led them on a high-speed chase before eventually being cornered in a dead-end gravel parking lot, where York was also apprehended.
York provided varying accounts of the events, claiming she was unaware of Cranford’s intentions when she got into the vehicle.
Both suspects were transported and booked into Spokane County Jail. Cranford faces charges of first-degree robbery and assault, with a bond set at $150,000, while York is charged with felony criminal conspiracy, with a bond set at $25,000.
The investigation into the incident and the search for additional suspects are ongoing.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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