According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a Home Depot on Wednesday night after receiving a report of a disorderly and argumentative male in the parking lot. An employee reported the male, later identified as Jason L. Souder, was videotaping employees in the store. When an employee asked Souder to stop, the man became argumentative.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Souder inside his car. Deputies say Souder was acting “strange and erratic,” asking about their weapons and other equipment and denying that he had done anything wrong. However, because the Home Depot employee was not authorized to pursue trespassing charges on behalf of the company, Souder was let go.
About 15 minutes later, deputies received a report of a man climbing aboard a freight train and attacking the engineer. According to the UP employee, Souder entered the cab of the locomotive and started “wildly swinging his arms,” striking the engineer multiple times. Souder then started to move the locomotive’s controls. Worried that Souder would take control of the train, the UP engineer distracted him long enough to stop the train.
When deputies arrived, they found Souder arguing with another railroad employee on the ground. When Souder saw the law enforcement officers he ran toward the locomotive again. Concerned that Souder was trying to steal the locomotive again, they deployed their Taser to incapacitate him and place him under arrest.
As Souder was placed in handcuffs, he again told deputies that he had done nothing wrong.
Souder has been charged with felony malicious injury to railroad property, misdemeanor trespassing, misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor resisting arrest. He is currently being held in the Spokane County Jail with a $10,000 bond.
