Tri-Cities woman slashes tires on 3 cop cars. New law kept police from stopping her sooner

A woman with a pair of knives slashed the tires on three police cars, after throwing dishes at officers Monday.

Police were called to the apartment building at 1001 West Fourth Avenue shortly before 10:15 a.m. when Andrea Spreadbury, 28, started throwing rocks at the complex office’s window, said Commander Aaron Clem.

The apartment complex is across from Amistad Elementary School and the Kennewick School District administration building.

After breaking a window, she returned to her apartment and began throwing dishes out the door. When officers arrived, she switched to pitching them at the police.

Then she grabbed two knives and started toward officers. They backed away, and she used that chance to stab nine tires on three cars stopped in the lot.

Police started following her on foot and in cars while they warned area businesses to lock their doors, locked down schools and diverted traffic.

She walked inside a couple businesses along Kennewick Avenue but continued on toward Huntington Street.

Around 11:15 a.m., she crawled underneath a truck, giving police a chance to get close enough to use a Taser to shock her, said Clem.

Officers also used a pepperball gun from Pasco police that fires rounds with the chemical used in pepper spray to stop her.

She was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital to get checked out before being booked into the Benton County jail on investigation of malicious mischief.

Clem said the arrest was made more difficult because of new Washington state laws that went into effect Monday that prevent officers from using .50 caliber or larger rounds.

House Bill 1054 prohibits the use or purchase of “military equipment,” which includes any firearm .50 caliber or larger.

“Unfortunately, this includes one of our best long-range less lethal options, the 37 mm impact baton,” said Clem. “While it’s not ‘military equipment,’ it is larger than .50 caliber, which means officers can no longer use these tools to rapidly bring a dangerous situation like this under control.”

“We could have ended this very rapidly in this parking lot if we had been able to use that equipment,” he said.

The law changed several different police tactics, including banning neck holds and putting limits on police car chases.

This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 2:51 PM.