By Robert Mittendorf / The Bellingham Herald
An Edmonds man is facing hit and run and assault charges after hitting a Ferndale Police officer with his car and trying to flee across the U.S.-Canada border Thursday night, authorities said.
Officer Wayne Kowie wasn’t seriously injured in the incident, said city spokesman Riley Sweeney.
Elijah Nathan Longoria, 21, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on charges of hit and run of an unattended vehicle, hit and run accident with injury, and third-degree assault in connection with the incident that started about 8 p.m. Thursday in downtown Ferndale.
Longoria remained in jail Friday morning.
Kowie, who joined Ferndale Police in fall of 2015 after serving as a combat nurse in the South African army, didn’t require hospital treatment for his injury, Sweeney said.
Sweeney said the incident began with a traffic violation near Riverside Drive and Main Street, east of downtown.
“(Longoria) went straight when it was a right turn only,” Sweeney said.
Kowie switched on his emergency lights and Longoria pulled into the Gull gas station, 1846 Main St.
But Langoria didn’t exactly cooperate, Sweeney said.
“He kept revving his engine,” Sweeney said. “He backed up, went forward, backed up, went forward.”
Kowie walked to the front of Longoria’s Honda Civic and ordered him to cut the engine and roll down his window, Sweeney said. As Kowie returned to the driver’s side of the car, the Civic’s door mirror hit Kowie’s arm, breaking the mirror.
“He hit him at a bit of a clip” and then drove away,” Sweeney said.
Border Patrol officers arrested Longoria a short time later as he tried to cross into Canada, Sweeney said.
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