BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Bellingham Police took a man into custody without incident following reports he had assaulted his girlfriend.
According to Bellingham Police Department (BPD) Lieutenant Claudia Murphy, BPD officers responded to the 1800 block of E Illinois Street about 9:40pm on Tuesday, October 10th, and set up a perimeter around the residence. They contacted the suspected assailant by phone and he confided that he had physically harmed his girlfriend but that she was “fine now.” He said he was applying ice to her neck since he had strangled her.
The suspect was given instructions to come out of the house, he did as instructed and was taken into custody without incident.
The victim told BPD she was afraid for her life and that the suspect was attempting to kill her by putting both hands around her neck and squeezing until she struggled to breathe and became unconscious.
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Click for more informationThe suspect, identified as Charles Anthony Quintanilla, age 32, old officers he planned to kill the victim and stopped strangling her when her eyes lost focus.
The victim was checked medically and found to have injuries consistent with having been strangled.
As of the afternoon of October 11th, Quintanilla remained in custody without the option to post bail pending a preliminary hearing.