- Ephrata, WA
Sheriff Deputy Jeff Wentworth age 41 of Ephrata was injured in last night’s shooting and was released around 3:00am and is now at home and is recovering according to the Sheriffs Office.
On Tuesday afternoon just after 2 pm, Jesus Torres committed two armed robberies in Moses Lake near the Peninsula neighborhood . He walked into businesses in the 200 block of W. Broadway and the 1000 block of W. Broadway, and pointed a firearm at the cashiers demanding money. The robberies took place within minutes of each other. MLPD officers were able to quick identify Torres as the suspect and began to search for him.
Grant County deputies located Torres just after midnight in the Ephrata area, and initiated a traffic stop. Torres fled from the stop, and began firing at deputies out the car window. The deputies were soon joined by officers with the Ephrata Police Department.
Torres was armed with an AR15-type rifle as well as a handgun, both of which he fired at deputies and officers as he circled the city of Ephrata. A Grant County Deputy was shot near the intersection of Nat Washington Way and Basin Street, sustaining non life-threatening injuries. Another Deputy’s vehicle was damaged by a bullet that Torres fired near 7th Ave SE. That deputy was not injured.
Torres continued outside of the city of Ephrata, driving up Road 19 NE to SR-17 attempting to drive south. At that point, a deputy executed a Pursuit Intervention Technique a (PIT) maneuver, causing Torres’ vehicle to spin out into a field. Torres attempted to flee on foot and was quickly captured and arrested without further incident.
The Columbia Basin Investigation Team is assisting in the investigation, and detectives from the Grant County Sheriffs Office, Ephrata Police Department, Quincy Police Department and the Moses Lake Police Department are assisting in the investigation. Since the events began in Moses Lake, MLPD said that their agency is the lead agency on the investigation.
Torres was booked into the Grant County Jail on the two robbery charges. The assault/pursuit investigation is ongoing with charges to follow. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office will be providing any updated information on the deputy.
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