BELLINGHAM - A Chilliwack, B.C., man was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 24, to more than three years in prison for pushing down an 80-year-old man in a foiled carjacking at a Wendy's restaurant in Bellingham.
At his Whatcom County Superior Court hearing, Reggie Wareagle Williams, 32, said he felt "really bad about what happened."
On July 30, he approached the victim, James Bullion, in the parking lot at 140 S. Samish Way, according to court records.
As Bullion exited his Hyundai Sonata, Williams demanded the keys. Bullion wouldn't hand them over. He was thrown to the ground and assaulted, suffering injuries to his knees, arm and ear. Williams ripped the keys away and got into the silver Sonata.
A Wendy's employee, Amanda Briggs, grabbed Williams to pull him out of the car, just as the gear shifted into reverse. Briggs got knocked down by the door.
Two men ran over, pulled Williams from the car and pinned him to the ground. Minutes later, when police arrived, they found an open-blade knife in the suspect's pants pocket.
Williams pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree attempted robbery and second-degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon. Judge Ira Uhrig handed him a sentence of three years, four months and two weeks in prison, noting it was the maximum term allowed under the law for a first-time offender.
Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.
