Authorities say woman used pepper spray during Bellingham vehicle theft
A 29-year-old Bellingham woman was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of stealing a person’s car after pepper spraying them in the face.
Bellingham Police Department Lt. Claudia Murphy said a person reported Friday morning that a woman known to them pepper sprayed them in the face and stole their Pontiac Vibe along the 3200 block of Northwest Avenue.
Officers identified the woman as the suspect and discovered she had an active warrant for her arrest from the Department of Corrections. She was previously sentenced to more than five years in prison for the attempted robbery of a 7-Eleven with a replica handgun.
Washington State Patrol troopers found the stolen Pontiac Vibe on Marine Drive later Saturday, Murphy said. Troopers believed she fled into a nearby residence, and they surrounded the house along with Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The woman was taken into custody without incident on suspicion of first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and theft of a motor vehicle. She remains in custody at the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. She has yet to be formally charged.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 3:24 PM.