This fugitive was shooting toward a home and then led Whatcom deputies on a chase
Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies arrested a wanted Blaine man after a short car chase and an all-night search west of Custer in connection with a Memorial Day shooting incident.
No injuries were reported in the manhunt that ended when the suspect was subdued with a “less-lethal” projectile from a stun gun, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater.
Michael Robert Gubser, 31, was being held without bail Tuesday, May 31, on a fugitive warrant issued in California and other felony charges after deputies caught him hiding in a shed in the 5000 block of Lincoln Road, according to Slater and Whatcom County Jail records.
Gubser was taken for medical evaluation as a precaution, but then booked into jail, Slater said.
Slater said the incident began about 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 30, in the 3800 block of Bay Road west of Custer.
“Residents reported someone was using a firearm unsafely and rounds were flying over their heads,” Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
A witness got the shooter’s license plate number and deputies found the car in the 8400 block of Harborview Road, Slater said.
“Mr. Gubser fled. Deputies observed him drive off of the road and into a grass field where his vehicle got stuck in a muddy area,” she said.
Slater said deputies were patrolling the wooded area north of Birch Bay about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday when dispatchers relayed a 911 call about a prowler.
“Deputies responded to the area and located Mr. Gubser hiding in a lean-to shed. Mr. Gubser was not cooperative and less-lethal tactics were utilized to help capture him,” Slater said.
Three firearms were recovered from Gubser’s truck, Slater said.
They included .308 and .223 caliber semiautomatic rifles and a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol, she said.
In addition to the California fugitive warrant, Gubser was booked on suspicion of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, attempting to elude a police vehicle, second-degree burglary, reckless endangerment and two counts of resisting arrest.
On Father’s Day in 2013, a Ferndale woman was killed when she was hit by stray gunfire from a target shooter. A Lynden man was sentenced to five years in prison for second-degree manslaughter in connection with her death.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 11:39 AM.
