Bellingham police arrest second suspect in attempted carjacking outside Target
Bellingham police on Saturday arrested a second suspect in an attempted carjacking and robbery of a female customer that occurred in December in the parking lot outside Target at Bellis Fair.
Vincent Charles Solomon, 18, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Feb. 8 on suspicion of robbery, theft and attempted motor vehicle theft, and jail records show he is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail.
As previously reported in The Bellingham Herald, a juvenile suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested Dec. 10 for his suspected role in the crime.
At approximately 10:31 p.m. Dec. 3, the victim left Target with a shopping cart full of merchandise she had just purchased, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald. As she attempted to load her purchases into the car, Solomon and the juvenile, who were both wearing hoodies, reportedly approached her.
Solomon struck the victim’s face, shoving her into the center console, and attempted to get into the car, Murphy reported.
The victim and Solomon struggled, Murphy wrote, and a witness arrived to lend aid. The victim and Solomon then ended up outside the car and Solomon reportedly ran off. A police K-9 search ended up recovering the victim’s purse and its contents, but Solomon and the juvenile could not be located.
Surveillance cameras at the mall captured video of the crime, and on Monday, Dec. 9, the Bellingham Police Department posted photos on its Facebook account and asked for the public’s help in locating the suspects.
After the investigation revealed Solomon as the second suspect, police received information Saturday that he was in the area of West Bakerview Road and Northwest Avenue, Murphy reported. Officers located him there and placed him under arrest without incident.
