Full Notification

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. (02MAR2016) – The lockdown of schools across Grant County was prompted this morning after a 39-year-old Flagstaff, Arizona man made threats to shoot up Coulee City schools.

Benjamin VanTassel is in the Grant County Jail facing multiple charges. VanTassel called Spokane television station KHQ around 7:00 this morning expressing the threats. KHQ staffers notified the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, which sent deputies to Coulee City. The Coulee City schools were closed for the day.

Deputies were able to track the movements of a cell phone associated with VanTassel. That tracking showed the phone was moving through Moses Lake, prompting officials to lockdown Moses Lake area schools. Ephrata, Soap Lake and Wilson Creek schools were also notified of the possible risk.

Deputies ultimately caught up with the vehicle with that cell phone south of Soap Lake and discovered it was not the suspect but rather a female friend of the suspect. VanTassel had apparently used her phone in the past and the phone number was logged in a police record tied to VanTassel. The woman was not involved with making the threats.

Around the same time, another deputy out looking for the suspect was driving on State Route 28 east of Soap Lake when an approaching black Nissan quickly crossed the center line toward the deputy’s car. That prompted a pursuit which at times reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. That chase, involving many law enforcement vehicles, lasted about 30 minutes and travelled east to Wilson Creek and then back west towards Soap Lake where Ephrata Police set up spike strips and disabled the car, which finally stopped near State Route 28 and Division Road in Lakeview. VanTassel was ultimately taken into custody without incident.

No shots were fired and nobody was injured during this incident, and all affected schools ultimately lifted their lockdown orders.

“There was great teamwork by many agencies from across Grant County which teamed up to bring this incident to a close,” said Sheriff Tom Jones. “In addition to the sheriff’s office, the Multi Agency Communications Center, Moses Lake Police, Ephrata Police, Soap Lake Police, Grand Coulee Police, Washington State Patrol, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington State Park Rangers all helped protect the public and bring VanTassel into custody.”

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