Driver arrested after chasing boy on electric dirt bike in Cheney neighborhood

A silver Ford Focus mounted a sidewalk in Cheney’s West Terrace neighborhood and chased a child on an electric dirt bike, a confrontation deputies say became serious enough that the driver at one point tried to hit the boy. The child was not injured, but cellphone video captured the chase and helped investigators identify the car.

The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. on April 28 in the 7500 block of South Fruitvale Road, just outside Cheney city limits in Spokane County. Deputies identified the driver as 56-year-old Wendy A. Clemente. They said she drove onto the sidewalk, pursued the juvenile, then reentered the roadway and left the area.

About 25 minutes later, deputies were sent to a separate complaint about someone trying door handles at a home about a mile away in the 10700 block of West Melville Road. When they arrived, they found Clemente and her vehicle in the driveway and arrested her. She was booked on suspicion of second-degree assault, DUI and second-degree criminal trespass. Court filings later described the assault count as second-degree assault, while some reports described it as attempted first-degree assault.

The case quickly rattled neighbors in a neighborhood that many described as quiet and safe. One resident said the video showed fear. Another said, “You think you're safe, it's a pretty nice neighborhood, and apparently you're not.” The reaction reflected more than shock at a single encounter. It also raised concern about how quickly an ordinary evening on a neighborhood street turned into a confrontation involving a child, a vehicle and a sidewalk that should have offered a measure of protection.

Investigators said Clemente initially told deputies she had been driving around with her dog and looking for other dogs to socialize with her own pet. She said she had stopped at a home with dogs in a fenced yard, denied trying to enter the residence and said she did not remember the confrontation involving the dirt bike.

Clemente was released on her own recognizance after her first court appearance. But the combination of the sidewalk chase, the later trespass call and the DUI allegation gave the case a broader significance: deputies were left examining whether this was an isolated outburst or a warning sign about aggressive driving and neighborhood safety in Cheney.