Duo allegedly led police on 100 mph pursuit through Bellingham and into Skagit County
A 32-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman, both from Lynnwood, were arrested Sunday night after they allegedly broke into a Whatcom County storage facility, stole welding equipment and led police on a high-speed chase down Interstate 5 at speeds reaching 100 mph before ending in Skagit County.
Joon Min Kang and Hannah Elizabeth Tripp were each booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of attempting to elude a police vehicle, second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. Kang also was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and second-degree possession of stolen property.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a suspected burglary in progress at approximately 11 p.m. Sunday at Pak A Nut Storage in the 800 block of Marine Drive, according to information provided by Chief Deputy Doug Chadwick in an email Monday to The Bellingham Herald, after the owner of the storage facility reported that surveillance cameras captured live footage of Kang and Tripp entering a storage unit that did not belong to them.
Shortly after reporting the burglary, the owner said Kang and Tripp left the facility in a red SUV and were headed toward Bellingham on Marine Drive, Chadwick said.
One of the responding deputies saw a red Ford Expedition at the intersection of Bennett Drive and West Bakerview Road and attempted to pull behind at the eastbound stop light on West Bakerview at West Maplewood Avenue, Chadwick said, but the Expedition sped off. The deputy turned on the lights and siren, pursued and was joined by other law enforcement units.
The Expedition entered southbound Interstate 5 at West Bakerview and accelerated to speeds up to 100 mph, Chadwick said, and the driver tried to prevent deputies from using the Pursuit Intervention Technique — a technique used by law enforcement to force a fleeing car to lose control and stop.
Deputies notified the Washington State Patrol as the pursuit continued south, and troopers set spike strips on I-5 near the Cook Road exit, Chadwick said. The vehicle exited the highway, lost control and spun into a field. Tripp was found to be driving, and she and Koon were taken into custody at the scene.
Deputies found the license plates had been switched off a car reported stolen in Seattle, Chadwick said, and inside they found some welding gas cylinders. The renter of the burglarized storage unit confirmed that the unit contained welding cylinders.