This morning around 3:30am deputies responded to the report of a suspected stolen vehicle out of Bellingham heading northbound on Northwest Drive.
According to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Jeff Parks, it was reported a witness was following a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck, suspected to have been stolen, which had just left a Bellingham car dealership on Northwest Drive followed by another vehicle, later determined to be occupied by accomplices. A deputy spotted the stolen truck and the following vehicle northbound on Northwest Drive. The truck accelerated when the deputy attempted to pull it over.
The license plate of the vehicle following the stolen truck was radioed to other law enforcement and soon was located and detained by Ferndale Police until the occupants could be turned over to Bellingham Police.
The deputy continued a high-speed pursuit of the truck north on Northwest Drive from south of W Smith Road. The pursuit continued for about 5 miles until reaching the corners at the 7000 block of Northwest Drive (near where a vehicle ended up crashing into a house yesterday). It was there the deputy discovered the truck had left the road and drove through a yard on W Wiser Lake Road crashing through a fence, brush and trees before returning to the road.
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Click for more informationThe truck continued at high speed east on W Wiser Lake Road where spike strips were deployed to stop the truck but were unsuccessful. The pursuit continued east across the Guide Meridian where a deputy was able to perform a PIT maneuver to stop the truck in the 400 block of E Wiser Lake Road.
A 17-year old male was taken into custody without incident and determined to be the lone occupant of the stolen truck. Bellingham Police booked the juvenile for attempting to elude a police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, hit and run (property) and 3rd degree driving while license was suspended. All charges were referred to the juvenile court.
Parks thought the significant damage to truck would make it a total loss.