Three men suspected of robbing Bellingham Costco, but this allegedly wasn’t their first
Three men are suspected of stealing floor-model laptop computers from Costco stores in Bellingham and Burlington the day after Christmas.
Bellingham Police booked Yahya Mohamed Adan, 22; Abdi Farah Abdi, 22; and Abdifatah Omar Hussein, 24, into Whatcom County Jail Dec. 26 on suspicion of second-degree robbery. Jail records show all three were released on bail Monday, Dec. 28. Court records say it’s unknown where the three reside.
Officers were called to the Bellingham Costco at approximately 5:04 p.m. for a theft in progress after it was reported two men had entered the store, stolen three laptops and left in a grey Ford Focus, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Officers learned that Adan and Hussein entered the store through the exit, went directly to the computer counter, pulled out bolt cutters, cut the floor model cables to three laptops and exited to the waiting car, Murphy reported.
The robbery matched a report of another robbery earlier in the day at the Burlington Costco, when three men entered the store through the exit, used bolt cutters and left in a Ford Focus with a temporary license, according to Murphy.
As officers were gathering information at the Bellingham Costco, another officer spotted the Ford Focus on southbound Interstate 5 near Lake Samish, Murphy reported.
Adan, Abdi and Hussein were found in the car and taken into custody, according to Murphy, and officers were able to see at least two laptops inside the car. The car was seized during the stop, and Murphy reported police are awaiting a warrant to recover any stolen property from the car.
The value of the three laptops allegedly stolen in Bellingham was less than $4,000, according to Murphy.
