Woman arrested after standoff with Bellingham police after assault investigation

A 58-year-old woman was arrested after barricading herself inside an apartment in Bellingham during a standoff on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to the Bellingham Police Department.

Tara L. Brinson assaulted a family member by hitting them and strangulating them at a residence in the 1100 block of North Forest Street in Bellingham on Thursday, according to a police news release Saturday, Aug. 22. The assault was broken up and she was shoved out of the house. After threatening to break in and kick down the door, she fled to her apartment in the 900 block of Lincoln Street.

After police officers were called, they went to Brinson’s apartment to question her, but she locked the door and would only shout and curse at officers. After police found out she had a weapon in the apartment and had prior military training, SWAT teams and crisis negotiators were called.

Following attempts to get Brinson to surrender, officers used a chemical irritant to get her to leave the apartment and surrender peacefully to officers. She was arrested and charged with second- and fourth-degree assault and attempted residential burglary and was booked into the Whatcom County Jail.

Her apartment was searched and the investigation remains ongoing.

It was the second of two domestic violence crimes that resulted in Bellingham Police SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Teams being called out. Tony Lee Combs, 41, a man with previous murder and child rape convictions who goes by the nickname “Flossy Jeff,” was booked into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday, Aug. 19, on suspicion of fourth-degree assault, felony harassment and possession of a controlled substance after Bellingham police closed a stretch of Barkley Boulevard and called in SWAT and crisis negotiators.

Resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:

▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.

▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.

▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.

▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org.