2 arrested after crashing stolen car

EPHRATA — Two alleged vehicle thieves were arrested last week after they reportedly crashed the stolen car and called for medical help.

About 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday two males contacted MACC Dispatch reporting they had been assaulted and needed medical assistance. The subjects were found in the 5100 block of Sagebrush Flats Road Northwest, near Ephrata, and told first responders they were left in the area by the people who assaulted them. The subjects were transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to information released Friday by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies investigated further and reportedly located a crashed vehicle, which had been reported as stolen out of Moses Lake, north of the 5100 block of Sagebrush Flats Road Northwest. Investigators reported it appeared as if the vehicle was traveling south on Sagebrush Flats Road Northwest and went off the east side of the road and over an embankment.

A spent bullet casing was reportedly found in the car and Deputy Dave De La Rosa and K-9 Grizzly were called in to search the area. Grizzly reportedly recovered six stolen credit cards, two sets of key chains and a handgun 200 yards south of the scene of the crash.

One of the suspects, Jose Manuel Macias Jr., 20, of Ephrata, was booked into the Grant County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and felon in possession of a firearm. The sheriff’s office did not disclose the name of the other suspect, who is under the age of 18. Additional charges against both of the suspects could be filed in the future.

“Nice work by investigators, Deputy De La Rosa, and K-9 Grizzly for finding the evidence that painted a clearer picture of what really happened,” Sheriff Tom Jones said.