Police track down, arrest suspect in Bellingham robbery and shooting after lengthy chase
Bellingham police have arrested a man who is suspected of shooting an acquaintance in the leg with a shotgun during an argument over money that escalated to a robbery.
Law enforcement dispatch received a report just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 of a shooting in the 3200 block of West Maplewood Ave. A Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived first to the scene, where the shooting victim, a 37-year-old man, was lying on the ground in a parking lot. The deputy began emergency medical treatment with the assistance of a civilian to stem the bleeding of the wound, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department.
The injured man was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center, where his condition was initially listed as “serious.” He was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
BPD officers and detectives arrived soon after the deputy and began investigating the incident. They identified Timothy Stovall, 26, as a person of interest in the case.
Investigators say Stovall arrived at the scene, where the victim was working on a car. The two men got into an argument over gas money Stovall believed he was owed for a ride a few days earlier. The disagreement escalated, and Stovall attempted to steal the vehicle that was being worked on, according to police.
The shooter reportedly brandished a pistol-grip shotgun, threatened to kill the other man and shot him in the leg. He also allegedly stole $350 from the victim.
The shooter fled the scene before officers arrived, but investigators learned that the shooter may have discarded the shotgun somewhere along Interstate 5. Police located the shotgun on Feb. 12.
Officers located Stovall and took him into custody on Feb. 15. Stovall attempted to elude officers on a small motorcycle, Murphy said. He was detained after a lengthy chase that included both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-5. Officers eventually caught up to him in the 3600 block of E. Rusley Drive, according to Murphy.
Stovall, who has previous felony convictions for assault and robbery, was booked into the Whatcom County Jail. He has been charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, felony harassment and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, a class C felony.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 10:21 AM.
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