While reportedly leading a chase, Whatcom man throws bag with gun and drugs out window
A Whatcom County man reportedly threw a bag containing a handgun, ammunition, heroin and methamphetamine out a car window while leading law enforcement on a chase Tuesday evening in an unsuccessful attempt to get away.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office booked Shawn Eric Linn Sivo, 38, into Whatcom County Jail Tuesday, Jan. 5, on suspicion of second-degree assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, reckless driving, unlawful possession of a firearm and driving with a suspended license. Jail records show he is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Deputies received information at around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on the location of Sivo, who had warrants for second-degree assault and possession of a stolen vehicle, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email. They reportedly located him driving northbound in the 7100 block of Valley View Road at a high rate of speed.
Deputies and a Washington State Patrol trooper attempted to stop Sivo, but he attempted to elude them and continued to drive recklessly, Slater reported. He reportedly swerved to avoid spike strips, but the pursuit ended when Sivo’s vehicle spun out into a ditch and Sivo and his passenger were taken into custody.
The passenger told deputies that during the chase, Sivo had thrown a bag out the window, according to Slater, and deputies located the bag in a ditch. It reportedly contained a stolen handgun, 11 rounds of ammunition, 11.6 grams of heroin and 19 grams of methamphetamine.
According to Whatcom County Superior Court records, the assault charges stem from a Nov. 23 incident in which Sivo reportedly drove past a home of a man he had previous disagreements with, got out of his car and hit the man in the head with a baseball bat, loosening one of the man’s teeth.
The possession of a stolen vehicle charge stems from a Dec. 29 incident, when deputies saw Sivo in a 2020 Dodge 1500 truck that had been reported stolen Dec. 9 in Bellingham, court records show. Deputies lost sight of the truck but then found it unoccupied in the 3200 block of Bennett Drive and the resident at the home where it was left told deputies Sivo and another man and dropped it off and left quickly.
