Bellingham man faces felony assault charge for intentionally ramming pedestrian with scooter
A Bellingham man has been arrested and faces a felony charge for allegedly ramming a pedestrian with an electric scooter on a Bellingham sidewalk.
A person reported to police that a man, later identified as Richard Anthony Arra, 35, was driving an electric scooter at high speeds on the sidewalk on Nov. 8 and had nearly struck the them.
The witness reported yelling at the driver to get off the sidewalk, to which the driver turned around and intentionally drove into him, causing him to fall to the ground and injury his arm to a degree that required medical attention for a broken elbow, according to court documents.
Arra then fled the scene on the scooter.
Another pedestrian who witnessed the incident helped the first individual to their feet and was able to identify Arra, who was contacted by police Nov. 13 and taken into custody. He was booked into the Whatcom County jail Nov. 13 and has since been charged with second-degree assault with bodily harm, a class B felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $20,000 fine.
Editor’s note (Dec. 2): This article has been updated to include charges and the suspect’s name.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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