Bellingham man allegedly points gun at another I-5 motorist in apparent road rage incident
A Bellingham man already awaiting trial from a February road rage incident when he allegedly chased and rammed a car, reportedly pointed a gun at another driver on Interstate 5 in northern Whatcom County Wednesday in what is believed to be another act of road rage.
After what was reported to be a four-hour standoff with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office SWAT and crisis negotiators, Bailey Rae McCorkhill, 26, was booked into Whatcom County Jail early Thursday, May 12, on suspicion of aiming a firearm, first-degree assault, fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The Washington State Patrol was first contacted about Wednesday’s alleged road rage incident at 2:28 p.m., Trooper Jacob Kennett told The Bellingham Herald.
The victim told troopers that she was driving northbound on Interstate 5 near the Portal Way exit when a tan Toyota Camry began flashing its lights and tailgating her car in an apparent effort to pass her, Kennett reported. The victim, who said she was unable to change lanes at the time due to other traffic on the freeway, had two passengers in the car at the time, including her 1-year-old son.
The driver of the Camry, who was later identified as McCorkhill, started gesturing with his fingers, including making it look like he was aiming a gun at the victim’s car, Kennett reported.
When the cars reached the Birch Bay Lynden exit, McCorkhill exited the freeway on the off-ramp, then quickly reentered on the on-ramp to pass the cars and get in front of the victim, according to Kennett.
The victim reported that she tried to pass McCorkhill, and as she pulled alongside the Camry, McCorkhill pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the victim’s car and mouthed expletives, Kennett reported. After he was arrested, Troopers discovered McCorkhill’s gun was a BB gun.
The victim exited the freeway in Blaine and called to report the incident and gave the State Patrol a description of the car, including its license plate, according to Kennett, but troopers were unable to immediately locate it.
Standoff with SWAT
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, which was already seeking to arrest McCorkhill on its own warrants, received information at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday that McCorkhill was at his mother’s home in the 800 block of West Axton Road, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deb Slater told The Herald in an email.
Deputies set up a perimeter around the house, Slater reported, and after nearly four hours of negotiations, McCorkhill surrendered, was arrested and booked into Whatcom County Jail at 1:41 a.m.
Slater reported the sheriff’s office warrants were for:
▪ Fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) stemming from an April 19 incident in which McCorkhill allegedly went to a family member’s house to get money for drugs, was told to leave and struck the victim during an argument, knocking the victim to the ground.
▪ Possession of a stolen vehicle stemming from an incident Sunday, May 8, after deputies were called by his mother’s neighbor who reportedly saw McCorkhill stealing gas and breaking into sheds. The neighbor was able to describe the car McCorkhill was using, and deputies discovered it was reported stolen in Ferndale. The investigation confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen, revealed that McCorkhill had been seen driving it and found the car with licenses plates belonging to a vehicle that was registered to McCorkhill.
Previous road rage incident
As previously reported by The Herald, the sheriff’s office previously arrested McCorkhill for a road rage incident on Feb. 8.
In that incident, the victim was traveling westbound on Smith Road with her 7-year-old son when McCorkhill began aggressively chasing them in his car, Slater previously told the Herald. McCorkhill reportedly drove up to the side of the victim’s car, made threatening comments, swerved at the victim’s car and made contact with it.
The victim attempted to get away from McCorkhill by abruptly stopping her car, according to Slater, but McCorkhill turned his car around, stopped next to the victim’s car and yelled that he was going to kill her. The victim attempted to get away, but McCorkhill followed, passing cars and driving on the shoulder of the road to get behind the victim’s car, Slater reported.
McCorkhill then rammed the back of the victim’s vehicle, knocking the bumper off, according to Slater. With the help of deputies stopping McCorkhill, the victim was able to speed away.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show McCorkhill is awaiting a July 11 trial on charges of second-degree assault, second-degree assault of a child and harassment stemming from the February incident.
