Bellingham robbery suspect allegedly uses taser on Walmart employee
Bellingham police used tasers and fired bean bags to subdue and arrest a man suspected of using his own taser on a Walmart employee while stealing merchandise from the store on Sunday.
Gavin Zane Ruckle, 20, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Oct. 11 on suspicion of first-degree robbery and resisting arrest, and jail records show he is being held in lieu of $8,000 bail.
Officers were sent to the Bellingham Walmart at 2:50 p.m. Sunday for the report of an employee being tased by a robbery suspect, later identified as Ruckle, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
After investigating, police found that Ruckle left the store with a cart full of unpaid merchandise without attempting to pay, Murphy reported.
An employee tried to bring the merchandise and Ruckle back into the store, according to Murphy, but Ruckle pulled out his taser and activated it when the employee reached for the cart. The employee “body checked” Ruckle, Murphy wrote, and Ruckle turned the taser on them, using it “multiple times” on the employee.
Ruckle then reportedly grabbed some of the merchandise and ran away.
Officers spotted Ruckle running across Meridian Street and tried to stop him in the parking lot, Murphy reported. He was ordered to get on the ground, which he initially did, before he reportedly jumped up and ran again.
Police pursued Ruckle, as he refused to comply with their commands, Murphy wrote, and kept reaching for where he had his taser as he continued to run.
Eventually, officers used their own tasers and non-lethal bean bag rounds to end the foot pursuit and take Ruckle into custody, Murphy reported.
Ruckle is awaiting a Dec. 7 jury trial on residential burglary charges from July, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records, and has previous convictions for malicious mischief, assault, theft, criminal assistance, theft, controlled substance possession and obstruction.
