Bellingham man reportedly shoots pellet gun in direction of police who were watching him
A Bellingham man suspected of dealing counterfeit fentanyl pills reportedly fired a pellet gun in the direction of police officers who were watching to see if he was dealing drugs.
Bellingham Police booked Erasmo Ramirez-Mejia, 36, into Whatcom County Jail Friday, Jan. 21, on suspicion of second-degree assault and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Jail records show he was released on $5,000 bail on Monday, Jan. 24.
Over the past few months, police have received complaints that counterfeit fentanyl pills were being dealt out of a a spray-painted black and white Toyota MR2 registered to Ramirez-Mejia, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents.
On Friday, two officers were watching for drug deals in the area of the Bellis Inn in the 3700 block of Meridian Street, documents state, where Ramirez-Mejia’s truck was parked and saw two cars pull into the area.
A couple of minutes later, the officers heard a noise and then heard a projectile going through the trees above their heads, documents state.
Using binoculars, officers saw Ramirez-Mejia point a dark pistol at a fence the officers were standing behind and fire another pellet/BB that struck the fence, according to documents.
Ramirez-Mejia was arrested without incident, documents state, and officers found a dark pistol tucked under the driver’s seat where Ramirez-Mejia had been sitting.
A passenger in the vehicle told police that Ramirez-Mejia got a phone call advising him the “boys” were watching, referring to the police, according to court documents.
