Bellingham neighbors’ dispute over glitter reportedly leads to standoff with police
A dispute among neighbors over spilled glitter reportedly led to a Bellingham man being sprayed in the face with pepper spray and hit with a baseball bat before a woman barricaded herself in her apartment for a several-hours standoff with police.
Bellingham police booked Coleen Leigh Clark, 32, into Whatcom County Jail Friday, Oct. 9, on suspicion of second-degree assault and jail records show she is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Officers were called at approximately 9:51 a.m. Friday to an apartment building in the 3400 block of Northwest Avenue for the report of an assault involving a baseball bat and pepper spray, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email. When they arrived, they reportedly found the victim outside the apartment suffering from the effects of pepper spray in his eyes. He also had swelling on one side of his head and bruising to his hand.
The investigation showed that the victim was sweeping glitter off his porch he said was spilled near his door by Clark, who is his neighbor, Murphy reported. As he was cleaning, the victim said he told Clark to keep her garbage on her side of the porch, which prompted Clark to grab the broom he was using.
The two struggled, and the victim was sprayed in the face with pepper spray by an unidentified companion of Clark’s, Murphy reported. Clark then reportedly let go of the broom, grabbed a wooden baseball bat and struck the victim in the head, arm and hand several times.
The victim was able to get the bat away from Clark, according to Murphy, and she retreated into her apartment and barricaded herself inside while her companion left.
Officers attempted to speak with Clark, but she refused to exit, Murphy reported. Clark reportedly answered some questions, but refused to identify her companion and said she couldn’t go back to jail.
Clark then began to hammer blankets over the windows and pushed furniture behind the door to block it, Murphy wrote, and she refused to speak to police.
Police were granted a search warrant to arrest Clark and used the Bellingham Police Department’s armored vehicle to protect officers as they continued to try talk to her and find a peaceful resolution, Murphy reported.
With Clark no longer responding to officers and after several hours in a standoff, Murphy reported police entered Clark’s apartment through a window and took her into custody without further incident.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Clark has previous convictions for malicious mischief, possession of a controlled substance, assault, theft and criminal trespass in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
