Bellingham police arrest man reportedly found passed out in stolen car, then do it again
The Bellingham Police Department must have felt like it was trapped with Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day,” as it made two separate arrests of men found passed out in stolen cars in Bellingham in a pair of eerily similar incidents Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.
The men in each incident attempted to get away, and both were unsuccessful.
“Two shifts, two calls, two stolen cars recovered, both drivers in jail, both drivers using fentanyl,” the department posted on Facebook Wednesday night. “Our night shift and day shift officers did an outstanding job today of getting two dangerous car thieves off the street safely and effectively and got them of the street.”
On Tuesday, May 24, Sean Francis Gilmore, 32, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of charges including hit and run, attempting to elude police vehicles, second-degree malicious mischief and possession of a stolen vehicle.
On Wednesday, May 25, Joshua Manuel Abitia, 23, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of two counts of possession of a stolen vehicle.
As of Thursday, May 26, both men were in jail awaiting Whatcom County Superior Court to set bail.
Arrest outside Barkley Haggen
Officers were sent at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday to the Haggen parking lot in the 2900 block of Woburn Street after a passerby noted a man, later identified as Gilmore, passed out in the driver’s seat of a silver Honda Civic, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email Wednesday evening.
The passerby told dispatchers he or she was worried about Gilmore’s welfare, as Gilmore was seen with something hanging from his mouth and burned foil in his lap, that Murphy said, “based on training and experience in narcotic investigations, is indicative of drug use — primarily fentanyl.”
Police arrived and checked the license plate of the Civic and found that it had been reported stolen May 20 in Bellingham, Murphy reported.
Officers positioned their patrol vehicles around the Civic in an attempt to pin the car in and keep Gilmore from leaving, according to Murphy, then activated their lights and called out to Gilmore, telling him he was under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Gilmore woke up and attempted to drive forward, ramming a patrol vehicle and an unoccupied Toyota Camry parked next to the Civic and causing approximately $1,000 in damage, Murphy reported. Gilmore reportedly continued to try to drive away, spinning his tires with several customers at area businesses in the parking lot.
Police decided to fire a bean bag through the back window in an effort to get Gilmore to stop, according to Murphy, who added that social media reports by witness of gunfire during the incident were likely referring to the bean bags being fired.
Gilmore did stop, but he then got out of the car and attempted to run away toward Newmarket Street, Murphy reported. Officers were eventually able to run him down and arrest him.
Gilmore was checked and cleared by medics before being booked into jail, Murphy reported. Officers also located a realistic-looking BB gun in the glove box of the Civic, according to the Facebook post.
Gilmore was already wanted for warrants in a different case for possession of a stolen vehicle, driving with a suspended license, hit and run, and jail records show bail was set at $20,100 for those warrants.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Gilmore has previously been convicted of vehicular assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault and theft of a motor vehicle.
Arrest outside Birchwood WECU
Less than 16 hours after Gilmore’s arrest, at 1:14 p.m. Wednesday, officers were called to the WECU parking lot in the 1600 block of Birchwood Avenue, Murphy reported, for the report of a man passed out in a blue Honda Accord.
The person who reported the incident gave dispatch the license plate on the Accord, according to Murphy, and it was confirmed stolen.
When officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as Abitia in the driver’s seat, Murphy reported, but there was a pregnant woman in the passenger seat, who also was passed out, and the car was running.
Police again attempted to position their patrol vehicles in a way that would prevent Abitia from attempting to leave, according to Murphy. Officers attempted to reach in and remove the key from the car, but couldn’t.
An officer on the passenger side opened the door, and Abitia woke up, Murphy reported. Police told him to put his hands on the steering wheel and that he was under arrest, but Abitia reportedly instead put the car and gear and attempted to push a patrol vehicle parked in front of the Accord out of the way.
Because Abitia already had a warrant for his arrest and fearing the safety of the pregnant passenger, police used a taser on Abitia, Murphy reported, which got Abitia to take his foot off the accelerator and put his hands out the window.
Police checked on the female passenger, who was not injured and refused to speak to police, according to Murphy.
The warrant for Abitia’s arrest stemmed from another possession of a stolen vehicle charge for a Honda Civic that was reported stolen April 20, according to Murphy. In that incident, Abitia reportedly sped away from police April 25 on Interstate 5, but crime scene investigators located his fingerprint inside the Civic when it was recovered.
Court records show Abitia has previous convictions for attempting to elude police, theft of a motor vehicle, theft, hit and run, possession of stolen property, escape and assault.
