Two injured in hatchet attack at Bellingham homeless camp at City Hall
A confrontation between two groups of people at the Camp 210 homeless encampment at Bellingham City Hall left two people injured late Friday night, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Detectives are investigating and no suspects have been identified, according to Murphy, the Bellingham Police Department public information officer.
The injuries occurred, Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email Saturday evening, during a confrontation at about 10:49 p.m. Jan. 22, near Lottie Street and Grand Avenue.
Three people in two cars were attacked by people who were on foot and came from the encampment, Murphy wrote.
Two people were injured with a hatchet by a male attacker. Murphy wrote. One victim sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries to his neck, after being struck by the sharp side of the hatchet by the man, and another’s nose was broken, she said.
At one point, another attacker brandished a gun, threatening the three victims, Murphy wrote.
“The victim group left, called police, and sought medical treatment at the ER. The investigating officers met the group at the ER to begin the investigation into what happened. The investigation as to the identity of the suspects is ongoing. We will provide further information if/when arrests are made,” Murphy wrote.
Earlier in the day, protesters and advocates for people staying in a temporary tent encampment created a human barrier and later broke into and entered City Hall in order to stop Bellingham officials from attempting to clean up the site Friday morning.
Homeless campers have been living in tents on the lawns of City Hall at 210 Lottie St. and the Bellingham Public Library at 210 Central Ave. since November 2020.
In a statement provided to The Herald Friday, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood said the city seeks a peaceful end to the encampment. He said most campers have not complied with the request to create a 25-foot fire and safety protection barrier around City Hall.
“Circumstances at City Hall and the Library lawn are entirely untenable, escalated largely by protesters and outside agitators who are not residents of the encampment. Their actions are a disservice to people who are experiencing homelessness and putting them at increased risk,” Fleetwood said.
He said he encourages residents at Camp 210 to seek services that are available at Base Camp, a homeless shelter on Cornwall Avenue operated by Lighthouse Mission Ministries.
The hatchet attack was one of several incidents near the camp noted on the Bellingham Police log for the 200 block of Lottie Street where City Hall is located:
▪ Harassment, 3:59 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22: “Officer took a report of a citizen being threatened with a large piece of wood by a protester.”
▪ Graffiti, 3:28 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22: “Officers responded to a graffiti report.”
▪ Disorderly conduct, 1:46 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22: “Officer responded to a report of two citizens who were accosted by protester.”
▪ Theft, 11:38 a.m., Friday, Jan. 22: “Officers responded to a theft report.”
▪ Information report, 10:03 a.m., Friday, Jan. 22: “Officers responded to a report of an assault. The involved parties did not want to report the incident at the time of the call.”
▪ Harassment, 5:56 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21: “Officers responded to Camp 210 for a report of subjects at the camp harassing members of the Bellingham Fire Department who were responding to a potentially dangerous outdoor burn.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2021 at 5:42 PM.
