Tri-Cities woman slams into 3 police cars at mall trying to escape arrest

A woman with a history of speedy, reckless getaways from shoplifting scenes damaged three patrol cars trying to escape arrest, say officials.

Investigators had been looking for Morgan Childers, 26, in connection with 11 incidents where she’s suspected of stealing items from stores. In many of the cases, she would speed away, nearly hitting cars and pedestrians, said officials.

When deputies discovered the white pickup parked in the Columbia Center mall parking lot at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, they knew they needed a plan, sheriff’s Lt. Jason Erickson said. As they were approaching the truck to pin it in, they spotted Childers running out of the mall.

Deputies believed if they let her drive away she would put people in the busy parking lot in danger, so they used their patrol vehicles to block her, according to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.

But that didn’t stop her from trying, he said. She slammed into the police cars, damaging the rear passenger door on one, the front push bar on another and leaving a third one with damage to the grill, Erickson said.

They stopped Childers from getting away, and she didn’t hit any other vehicles.

But deputies had to break her truck window to pull her out of the vehicle.

Investigators believe she was high on drugs at the time of her arrest.

She was booked in to the Benton County jail in Kennewick on suspicion of second-degree assault, attempting to elude police, first-degree malicious mischief and DUI.