Dispatched to active shooter, police arrest man for shotgun theft at Bellingham Walmart
A Whatcom County man allegedly smashed a display containing firearms at the Bellingham Walmart Wednesday evening and stole a shotgun and ammunition before running out of the store in an incident that was initially reported as an active shooter.
Bellingham Police booked Jimmy Robert Brashears, 35 of Lynden, into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday, Aug. 24, on suspicion of first-degree burglary, reckless endangerment, theft of a firearm, second-degree malicious mischief and obstructing law enforcement. Jail records show Brashears also had an outstanding warrant for third-degree assault of law enforcement officers.
Officers were sent at approximately 5:21 p.m. Wednesday to the Walmart on Meridian Street for an incident that was initially reported as an active shooter, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
The man, later identified as Brashears, walked to the firearm department inside the store, catching employees’ attention because he had a hard object in his hand and was pacing back and forth, Murphy reported.
Brashears walked up to a locked display case containing firearms and used the hard object he was holding to strike and break the glass, according to Murphy, and he then grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun. He then reportedly used the buttstock of the shotgun to smash a secure display holding ammunition, using so much force that several pieces broke off the shotgun.
“Innocent shoppers and employees were terrified of his intentions and called police. Officers arrived with lights and sirens, which caused Brashears to flee through the emergency exit of Walmart and into the wooded area behind,” Murphy reported, adding that he took the shotgun with him.
Bellingham Police and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office set up a perimeter around the area, and K9 team was brought in to track him, according to Murphy.
The Bellingham Police Department sent out a public alert with Brashears’ description on social media, and sheriff’s deputies located Brashears walking on a side street in the 4400 block of Hannegan Road after residents reported seeing him, according to Murphy. Brashears reportedly tossed the shotgun in nearby brush right before police contacted him.
Brashears was arrested and booked into jail at 7:09 p.m., and Murphy reported the shotgun was found in the brush.
The third-degree assault warrant stemmed from a March 2 incident, Whatcom County Superior Court documents show, after he reportedly fought police, causing minor injuries to several officers, after they were sent to the report of a man attempting to break into a storage container inside a secure garage in the 200 block of West Bakerview Road.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 8:41 AM.
