Whatcom man suspected of vehicular assault, as passenger hospitalized in single-car crash
A Whatcom County man is suspected of running a stop sign Friday night and crashing into an unoccupied farm truck, resulting in a passenger in the car he is believed to have been driving being taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries.
The Washington State Patrol booked Roberto Mendoza-Ailon, 28, into Whatcom County Jail Saturday, March 6, on suspicion of vehicular assault. Jail records show he was released Tuesday, March 9, on $1,500 bail.
The State Patrol and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of the crash at 10:45 p.m. Friday, March 5, at the intersection of West Pole Road and Northwest Drive, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents.
Troopers learned that a silver 2018 Chevrolet Cruze was heading westbound on West Pole Road, failed to stop and entered the intersection at a high rate of speed, documents state. The Cruze then reportedly struck a parked International farm truck with enough force to push it approximately two feet.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Mendoza-Ailon standing outside the car and another man laying partially out of the car with his feet on the driver’s side floorboard, according to documents.
The second man, who is 34, was in and out of consciousness and was taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham and later transported to Harborview due to his injuries. Because he had his feet on the driver’s side of the car, investigators initially believed the man was driving the car, court documents state, but seat belt bruising on his chest and Mendoza-Ailon’s later showed otherwise, documents state.
Troopers spoke to Mendoza-Ailon, who had cuts and was bleeding primarily on his right arm, at the scene and suspected he was intoxicated, documents state, but because it was believed at the time that he was the passenger, he was not arrested. A broken Corona beer bottle was reportedly found on the driver’s side of the car.
When it was discovered the hospitalized man was not the driver, troopers attempted to speak to Mendoza-Ailon at a home in the 200 block of Pollman Circle south of Lynden, where Mendoza-Ailon was arrested and taken to St. Joseph hospital to be checked out. Due to the time since the incident a blood draw to check Mendoza-Ailon’s blood alcohol level was not recommended, court documents state.
