Bellis Fair shoplifting report leads to arrest for DUI, eluding police
A recent report of shoplifting in Bellingham led to a vehicle chase and the arrest of a suspect who now faces a felony charge.
Officers with the Bellingham Police Department responded to a report of a theft in the area of the Bellis Fair mall, where witnesses reported seeing a man conceal store items worth about $250 in a bag the evening of Sept. 27.
Officers identified a person matching a description of the suspect, later identified as Mount Vernon resident Tyler C. Potter, 36, in the parking lot and followed him on foot, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy with the Bellingham Police Department.
After ignoring an officer’s commands to stop, Potter got into a Ford Fusion and left the area, Murphy said. Officers followed Potter’s vehicle at a distance without lights on and observed him swerving around the road and driving in an erratic manner.
Near Interstate 5 and Sunset Drive, Potter’s vehicle collided with another vehicle. Potter didn’t stop and instead continued heading south on I-5, Murphy said.
The officer following him turned on his lights to pull over the suspect, but Potter kept going, exiting off I-5 at Lakeway Drive. Officers used a pursuit intervention Technique (PIT maneuver) to end the chase near Electric Avenue and Northshore Drive, Murphy said.
Potter was arrested and has been charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle, a class C felony. He was also charged with driving under the influence, a gross misdemeanor. He remained in custody at Whatcom County Jail as of Oct. 3.
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