Regal bomb threat suspect arrested for allegedly slashing tires at police department
The Bellingham man accused of threatening that he had a bomb at a local movie theater in April was arrested last week for allegedly slashing the tires of several vehicles at the Bellingham Police Department.
Ryan Nolan MacFarlane, 28, was arrested Feb. 19 on suspicion of second-degree malicious mischief. MacFarlane had a first appearance Feb. 20, but Whatcom County Superior Court records weren’t immediately available Monday.
A competency hearing for MacFarlane is scheduled for Feb. 27, according to the court record.
Shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 19, Bellingham police discovered slashed tires on three vehicles belonging to police department employees, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Murphy said two of the vehicles had multiple tires slashed and that damage exceeded $1,000.
Bellingham police identified the suspect as MacFarlane, who was arrested later that morning, Murphy said.
Murphy said that MacFarlane believed the vehicles belonged to the police department and wasn’t targeting specific employees. The cars were parked in the front lot of the department and were unoccupied at the time, she said.
MacFarlane is also accused of threatening he had a bomb at a showing of “Avengers: Endgame” on April 28, 2019, at the Regal Cinemas movie theater in Bellingham.
No bombs were found by the Bellingham’s bomb squad, but the threat caused people in the theater to run for the emergency exit and thousands were evacuated from the complex.
MacFarlane’s charges in the case were amended in July 2019 to include threat to bomb (a felony), disorderly conduct (a misdemeanor) and felony harassment (threats to kill), according to court records.
MacFarlane is currently waiting to be admitted to an inpatient treatment facility where he will undergo 45 days of competency restoration treatment, the court records state.
MacFarlane was declared not competent to stand trial on the bomb threat on Dec. 26, 2019. While MacFarlane could understand the nature of the charges against him, he lacks the capacity to assist his attorney in his defense due to symptoms of mental illness, according to court records.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 11:53 AM.
