Ferndale man arrested after short police chase in Bellingham over the weekend
A 23-year-old Ferndale man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly led Bellingham police on a short pursuit in the Roosevelt neighborhood.
Zachary Bryan Demke was arrested June 20 on suspicion of attempting to elude a police vehicle and third-degree driving with a suspended license.
Around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Bellingham police contacted Demke, who was driving a Ford Ranger, for having a suspended driver’s license and failing to have a required ignition interlock device installed in his car, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy. The officer decided not to charge Demke for the misdemeanors because Demke had only driven a short way and followed instructions to park and not drive the vehicle, Murphy said.
A short while later, the same officer saw the Ford Ranger being driven, and when the officer attempted to catch up to see who the driver was, the driver - later identified as Demke - sped up heading west on Alabama Street before turning north onto Woburn Street, Murphy said.
The officer activated his emergency lights, but Demke didn’t stop and made “a very fast and haphazard turn against a wrong way sign on E. North Street,” according to Murphy.
Demke then turned south onto Valencia Street, which kicked up a cloud of dust and gravel, indicating high speeds and poor control, Murphy said. Demke drove across heavy cross-traffic on Alabama Street, narrowly missing hitting another vehicle, Murphy said.
“Demke made no attempt to stop and this was extremely dangerous for the public and could have resulted in a crash resulting in considerable injuries due to the willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others,” Murphy said.
The officer lost sight of Demke, turned off his emergency lights and ended the chase as it was no longer safe to follow, Murphy said. Officers in the area noticed that several drivers had pulled off to the side of the road in attempts to get out of the way of the Ford Ranger, she said.
The pursuit lasted for roughly three minutes, before the officer stopped following Demke due to the increased risk to the public’s safety, Murphy said.
The Ford Ranger was found empty parked in a driveway on Douglas Avenue off Yew Street Road. Several community members called 911 to report that Demke was going through nearby residents’ yards and asking them if he could pay them for a ride out of the area, Murphy said.
Demke was soon found walking north on Yew Street Road, she said. He was taken into custody without incident, Murphy said.
