Police: Bellingham DUI suspect eluded pursuit, failed to cooperate during arrest
Authorities arrested a man for allegedly attempting to outrun police attempting to pull him over for possibly driving while intoxicated.
A Bellingham police officer spotted the suspect, Kevin Wade Studer, 63, around 10:14 p.m. on July 5 near James and Ohio streets. The officer noticed Studer nearly lost control of his Toyota Corolla while turning south onto James Street. Studer also ran a stop sign soon after, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department.
The police officer turned on his lights and attempted to pull the vehicle over around Meador Street, Murphy said. Studer ignored the lights and sped up, passing a vehicle on the left while heading south on Lincoln.
When he reached the Lakeway intersection, he ran a red light, reaching speeds of more than 90 mph, according to Murphy. Studer kept heading south until he ended up at a dead-end road in the 600 block of Samish Way. Officers announced to the suspect that he was under arrest and to step out of the car, but he reportedly refused to leave the vehicle.
Police used bean bag munitions against the bumper of the car to encourage him to exit the vehicle, but he remained inside. Another bean bag munition was used to break the rear passenger window, and a chemical irritant was used in the car. Another round of chemical irritants was needed before Studer exited the vehicle.
Studer started emptying his pockets and throwing items into his car, all while yelling at police. Another bean bag munition and a chemical irritant in the form of a paintball were used against him, and he began complying with commands.
Studer was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment for exposure to chemical irritants before being transferred to Whatcom County Jail. While he was at the hospital, police also applied for a search warrant to draw blood to test for a DUI.
Studer was charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle, driving under the influence of liquor and/or drugs and resisting arrest.
Editor’s Note (July 15): This article was updated to include the suspect’s name once he was formally charged.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 2:09 PM.
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