UPDATE: Suspect Jailed on Several Felony Charges after Crashing a Stolen Car into a Box Truck Last Friday, Identified as the Suspect in Last February’s Shooting/Robbery in Spokane Valley
Continuing to work the robbery and shooting of a victim in the parking lot of Black Angus on February 27, 2021, Spokane Valley Major Crimes Detectives developed probable cause to charge 31-year-old Jason D. McWhirk with: Assault 1st Degree, Robbery 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle.
McWhirk is a 5-time convicted felon for two counts of Theft of a Motor Vehicle, two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance w/o a Prescription, and Residential Burglary. With these convictions, McWhirk is prohibited from possessing firearms.
On February 27, 2021, at approximately 8:20 pm., an adult victim was confronted by an unknown suspect who stole the victim’s car from the parking lot of Black Angus in Spokane Valley. The victim attempted to stop the suspect but was shot in the chest with a 9mm pistol during the struggle.
Deputies pursued the stolen vehicle but lost sight of it due to the suspect’s extremely reckless driving behavior.
On March 1, 2021, the stolen car was recovered in a parking lot of a business in the 24700 block of E. Wellesley in Otis Orchards. Major Crimes Detectives seized the vehicle, obtained a search warrant, and had the car searched for evidence. At that time, DNA samples were taken and submitted to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for processing.
Until May 11, 2021, the suspect had remained unidentified until Detectives received DNA results which showed McWirk matched one of the samples.
Major Crimes Detective Mike Drapeau took this information and found McWhirk was a convicted felon and in custody at the Spokane County Jail. McWhirk also had an outstanding Idaho felony warrant for violating probation.
McWhirk was still in the Spokane County Jail after an incident on May 7, 2021, where he was driving recklessly in a stolen vehicle at high speeds and crashed into a box truck on Dishman Mica Road between 8th and 16th Avenue. After the crash, McWhirk was found to have a loaded Sig Saur 9mm pistol in the pocket of his shorts. The pistol was seized for evidence, and the serial number was checked, which revealed it was reported stolen. He was booked for charges of Vehicular Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm stemming from this incident.
Detective Drapeau checked the ammunition in the pistol seized after the crash and learned it matched the same brand of ammunition used when the victim was shot in February.
This afternoon, Detective Drapeau probable cause to charge McWhirk with additional charges of Assault 1st Degree, Robbery 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle in this incident.
On the night of the shooting, the victim was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound and listed in critical condition. He has since been released and is now home, still recovering from the severe injuries he suffered.