(Look below the original story for a detailed update)
8:10pm Unknown why the vehicle was being pursued but the suspect had already collided with an officer’s vehicle.
After driving through Ferndale the suspect entered I-5 southbound at Portal Way. Speed reported over 100mph. Suspect cut through the median and began going the wrong way on I-5 (southbound in the northbound lanes). Law enforcement began setting up to shut down I-5 at the Bakerview interchange due to the hazard this individual presented.
The suspect turned northbound before reaching the Bakerview interchange. Reported to be weaving through traffic. Ultimately crashed in the left lane on the Nooksack Bridge which had the right lane blocked for construction. His disabled vehicle resulted in traffic being stopped. A request for Omaha (a Customs and Border Protection helicopter) to join the pursuit was confirmed as already having been made.
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8:15pm Suspect left his vehicle and took off on foot to the east. Reports of a pursuit on foot at the Portal Way dead end and a K-9 unit has joined.
8:20pm Description: white male, black leather jacket, blue jeans and a multicolored beanie… Helicopter arrived and joined the search.
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Click for more information8:27pm There is a report of a suspect being detained. Suspect is known to officers. Looking for a magazine that got tossed by the bridge.
8:31pm Officers report “we have our guy.” Positive ID.
8:33pm Moved the crashed vehicle from the left lane on the bridge to free up one lane of I-5 traffic (right lane closed due to contruction). Tossed magazine located.
Update 8/7/15
The above is the original story posted as events occurred. The following provides additional details provided by Ferndale Police afterwards.
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Click for more informationA Ferndale Police officer signaled for the suspect to pull over due to some equipment violations and speed. Instead of pulling over, the driver sped off at a high rate of speed. Their path took them d through Ferndale. They went down Main Street from I-5 and then north on 3rd Avenue. Traffic slowed the suspect, enabling the officer to catch up. When the officer got close to the suspect, the suspect intentionally drove into the officer’s patrol vehicle. The officer maintained the pursuit which turned on Washington Street and headed back to I-5 via 2nd Avenue.
By this point there was a significant response from multiple agencies and sirens filled the air from multiple directions.
The suspect headed south on I-5 from Portal Way with the Ferndale officer still in pursuit. The suspect crossed the median and began traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-5. The officer continued paralleling the suspect from the southbound lanes. The suspect eventually turned and began going north in the northbound lanes.
According to Ferndale Police Sergeant John VanderYacht,
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Click for more informationAt this point, even without officers pursuing him, he continued to drive in a manner that put other motorists at serious risk. A deputy from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) got behind the vehicle and continued the pursuit. The suspect swerved through traffic as he came up to the construction area on the bridge by Portal way. A construction worker for Dunkin and Bush saw the vehicle approaching and positioned his vehicle to protect his fellow workers. Workers were suspended up in the bridge and if anyone hit their equipment it could be very dangerous. The suspect collided with several construction barrels and then failed to stop before hitting the Dunkin and Bush construction vehicle.
The suspect left his disabled vehicle and fled on foot to the east side of I-5 where a section of Portal Way dead-ends. He was pursued through private property. He began taking off clothes and his jeans were found in a dumpster along the way. He was seen running through a neighbor’s property and that neighbor pointed him out to officers nearby. The suspects was eventually detained near the Shell gas station on Portal Way.
The suspect denied being the person driving the car but a Whatcom County Sheriff Office K-9 tracked from the suspect vehicle to where the suspect was being detained. Officers also received photographs of the suspect in front of the vehicle.
Once identified, it was discovered the suspect had multiple arrest warrants and a suspended driver’s license.
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Click for more informationThe suspect vehicle collided with no other vehicles besides the pursuing Ferndale officer’s patrol vehicle and the bridge worker’s truck.
According to VanderYacht, there was no weapon involved in the pursuit. With regards to the report of a “magazine” being looked for, “There were officers looking through the area for [the suspect’s] jacket and hat but nothing else.”