Crime

Bellingham man breaks into home, assaults victim and steals car

Man assaults and steals from victim, threatens to kill law enforcement.
Man assaults and steals from victim, threatens to kill law enforcement. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Bellingham man entered a residence uninvited, assaulted the person living there, stole his wallet and keys and then left in his vehicle.

Humberto Garcia, 31, was known to the victim, who called law enforcement after the incident, according to police. The resident did not make a police report, but was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries. The incident occurred Nov. 15 in the 6100 block of Hawthorne Place in Maple Falls. Deputies responded around 9 p.m. Nov. 19 to the 700 block of Balfour Valley Drive to arrest Garcia.

Garcia fled on foot immediately after seeing the deputies, who chased him down. Garcia soon turned to face them and reached into his pocket, saying he would kill the deputies and himself, according to Deb Slater with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

While deputies were trying to get control of his arm, there was a struggle and Garcia fell to the ground. No gun was found on Garcia. He was taken into custody and booked into Whatcom County Jail for first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, felony harassment, theft of a motor vehicle and intimidating a public servant. He also had a warrant for four counts of felony no-contact order violation.

Garcia remains booked in Whatcom County Jail.

Jack Belcher
The Bellingham Herald
Jack Belcher covers transportation and recreation for The Bellingham Herald. He graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in digital journalism in 2020 and joined the staff in September 2022. Belcher resides in Bellingham.
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