BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The SWAT team was called in to assist sheriff’s deputies with the arrest of a juvenile suspect reportedly shooting a handgun in a Bellingham apartment complex over the weekend.
At about 9:30 PM on Saturday, Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report from a woman who said her 16-year-old son was high on meth, armed with a handgun, and “freaking out” in an apartment in the 3300 block of Redwood Avenue.
Deputies heard what sounded like gunshots upon arrival and evacuated residents from nearby apartments.
They called for the suspect to leave the apartment but he reportedly refused to comply, so they called the SWAT team and Crisis Negotiation team who, after nearly two hours, convinced him to exit.
During a search of the apartment, deputies found a handgun with a loaded magazine that they confirmed was stolen.
The suspect was booked into Whatcom County Juvenile Detention on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, obstructing a public servant, and third-degree assault, as the report says he spit in a deputy’s face while being arrested.