Armed suspect in custody after running from officer
By Dan Thesman on Monday, December 6th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – An armed suspect involved in an alleged robbery, assault and theft of a motor vehicle Sunday in Walla Walla was arrested later that day following a foot pursuit.
It all started when officers were dispatched to a convenience store on West Morton where a man called police stating he had just been robbed at his house. The victim stated he left his house and went to the convenience store to call 911 because the suspects had taken his phone.
The victim stated some men showed up at his home and began accusing him of inappropriate interaction with a female that had been staying at his home and then pointed firearms at him. The victim claimed to have been bound in a chair and a bag put over his head, then his wallet, cash, phone, and vehicle were all taken by the suspects. The victim was able to free himself after the suspects left and was able to go get help. The victim stated he knew one of the suspects but not the other.
As about 1 p.m. Sunday, an officer spotted one of the possible suspects riding in a vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near Prospect Avenue. The suspect, Christopher M. Crump, 28, ran from police. During the foot pursuit, the officer noticed that Crump was throwing items, one of which was a handgun. Crump was taken into custody on the 300 block of Prospect Avenue. Officers retrieved a semi-automatic weapon that also matched the description given by the victim of the robbery. Crump was also found to have bullets in his pocket at the time of arrest that matched the caliber of weapon that was recovered on scene.
Crump was booked into the Walla Walla County Jail and faces charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, theft of motor vehicle, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful imprisonment, second-degree theft and intimidating a witness (felony). According to police, Crump was out on pre-trial at the time of this incident and has cut his court ankle monitors in the recent past.
