Bellingham police investigating after elderly man found bleeding from head near Sehome
Bellingham police continue to investigate a reported assault of an elderly man that occurred Tuesday morning near Western Washington University, but they now believe nothing was taken from the victim.
The university sent out a campus crime alert to students and faculty Tuesday morning saying that police were searching for a suspect who reportedly assaulted and attempted to rob a 71-year-old man shortly before 8:15 a.m. Feb. 26 at the Sehome Arboretum.
The alert said the man reported that he had been walking in the wooded area at the top of the arboretum when the suspect approached and demanded his money. The victim refused, and the suspect responded by throwing rocks at him, striking the victim in the head.
Police are still investigating the report and searching for the suspect, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email late Tuesday, but she added, “it does not appear any property was taken” from the victim.
Police were called at 8:15 a.m. for a welfare check on Bill McDonald Parkway near Sehome High School, Murphy reported, and found the victim bleeding from his head. Officers called for medical aid to check his injuries.
Before the victim was taken to the hospital, he briefly gave police information about what happened and a description of the suspect. Officers searched the area and spoke to potential witnesses, Murphy reported, but nobody matching the description was located.
Officers went to the hospital to speak to the victim, Murphy wrote, and they received “additional and different information with regard to the suspect description and what occurred.” She added that further updates about how the victim was injured and a clearer description of the suspect will come as the investigation develops.
