Bellingham (WA) Between 1:20 and 2:00 this morning the Bellingham Police received two 911 calls about a bearded man that had assaulted women in the Sehome neighborhood. On both occasions the assaults were sexually motivated.
The first assault occurred at 1:22 a.m. in the 800 block of E. Chestnut Street. Two women (21 and 22 years old) were walking together when a man on a bicycle rode up behind them and grabbed the butt of one of the women. When confronted the man said that he wanted oral sex and said that he had a knife in his pocket. The victim of the assault told him she was calling the police and the man immediately rode away on his bicycle. He was last seen heading southwest.
The second assault occurred at 1:53 a.m. in the 300 block of N. Garden Street. A 29 year old female was walking southbound and noticed a man lurking in a shadowy area. She confronted the man stating “hey man you scared me”. The man responded by running at the woman and grabbing her around the neck with one arm. With his free hand he held the point of a pocket knife to her throat. He demanded oral sex while stating that he had a knife. The woman screamed as loud as she could. The man immediately fled on foot.
The description of the suspect in both assaults is almost identical; a white male, mid to late 20’s, about 6 feet tall, long dark beard, curly shaggy dark hair, wearing a beanie, a brown button up shirt and blue jeans. He had a smaller backpack. The pocket knife was described as being like a swiss army knife.
We are seeking any information that will end this series of incidents immediately. The primary investigator is Detective Dykstra who can be reached at 360-778-8664. Tips, which can be anonymous, may be submitted by calling 360-778-8611, or online at www.cob.org/tips
This map shows where the first assault occurred on E. Chestnut and the distance to the second assault on N. Garden Street.
