Man attempts to steal equipment from secure U.S. Customs building in Lynden, police say
A man was arrested at the U.S.-Canadian border for attempting to steal equipment from a secured Customs Administration building on the United States side, police said.
Austin Michael Giger, 30, from Tigard, Oregon, was caught in the U.S. to Canada Port of entry in Lynden wearing a U.S. Border Patrol uniform. Deputies responded to the crime scene around 1 a.m. Monday. When asked what he was doing, he told officers he had just gotten off work and pointed to the stolen border patrol vest.
Giger was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, first-degree theft, theft of a firearm and first-degree criminal impersonation.
According to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater, Giger had walked through the front doors of the facility and started going through rooms and Border Patrol equipment.
He is accused of stealing two ballistic vests worth $3,000 each, a radio worth $5,000, a Border Patrol jacket worth $200, $20 worth of ammunition, $20 of pepper spray and a $30 ammunition magazine.
The Bellingham Herald has reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol for comment.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 3:22 PM.
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