Man jailed after tussle with police

by Roger S. Lucas & Scott Hunter

It took three officers to finally subdue a man originally pulled over on a traffic stop who now faces a handful of charges, including third-degree assault of the officers and resisting arrest.

Floyd denies the charges.

Arrested and taken to Grant County Jail Saturday was Lyle A. Floyd, 46, who owns the Body by Dam gym in Grand Coulee. In addition to giving an Electric City address, Floyd also lives in Nine Mile Falls, near Spokane.

At 9:40 p.m., an officer got a call from a concerned motorist who had seen a black Toyota pickup being driven erratically and speeding about 100 mph down the Wilbur hill. Three officers waited at the edge of town along SR-174. He was going the speed limit as he went by a patrol car, but gradually sped up to 45 mph — 10 mph over the limit, Sgt. Gary Moore’s report says. That’s when Moore pulled him over.

Floyd repeatedly refused to cooperate with officers, would not provide any information that was requested, and attempted to drive away, police said.

When officers tried to force him out of the pickup, Floyd tensed up and refused, at one point pinning Moore’s wrist and breaking his watch band, Moore’s report states.

At that point, officer Joe Higgs used his taser on Floyd, the first time. It had no effect.

During a subsequent struggle as police tried to get him out of the vehicle and on the ground, their reports say, Floyd lifted officer Adam Florenzen off the ground with one arm, and threatened to turn Higgs’ taser on Higgs, who eventually used it three times.

Higgs, in his report, stated that he took the threat seriously because Floyd “has a history of violent outbursts and threats to law enforcement and the courts of Grant County.”

Floyd kept yelling that the officers had no authority to arrest him.

“I did not resist,” Floyd said in a Facebook message to a reporter, “they tasered me and tackled me to the ground before even trying to arrest me. … They tasered me so long I could not let loose of my truck. The two cops trying to manhandle me had to let go of me for a second because they were getting shocked off me. All the while two Grand Coulee cops are yelling conflicting instructions at me the whole time.”

In the encounter, Floyd struck Officer Moore in the face, breaking his glasses, pinned Higgs’ hand while Higgs was attempting to release Floyd’s seat belt, and caused Florenzen to receive two abrasions, one on the knee and the other on the elbow, police reports say.

A check of Floyd’s vehicle found a jar that contained marijuana and some smoking devices.

Floyd was taken to police headquarters, where he started laughing. “I can’t believe it took three of you guys to get me,” he said, according to Florenzen’s report.

Moore got a search warrant so they could take Floyd to the hospital to get a blood sample.

Police had checked Floyd’s mouth and found evidence that he had recently smoked marijuana.

Floyd faces charges of assault in the third degree, intimidating an officer, resisting arrest, obstructing a law enforcement officer, refusing to provide information when requested, driving while his license was suspended in the third degree, driving while under the influence (of drugs), and malicious mischief.