BELLINGHAM — A chase that spanned about 45 miles and three counties on I-5 ended in a crash near Sunset Drive in Bellingham on Wednesday.
The chase began in the morning near Arlington when a red 2001 Chevy Cavalier going more than 100 mph passed Washington State Patrol troopers, trooper Keith Leary said.
The Edmonds driver did not pull over despite multiple attempts by troopers, Leary said.
The chase ended about 10:20 a.m. in Whatcom County when the car clipped a truck, spun around and crashed into the concrete I-5 median barrier.
Troopers pulled the driver from the car, Sgt. Timothy Coley said. The man, 49, did not appear to suffer any injuries. He was examined at St. Joseph’s Hospital before being taken to Snohomish County Jail. The truck driver was uninjured.
The State Patrol is investigating why the man fled police.
The driver’s mother, who is the registered owner of the Cavalier, told troopers that her son suffers from bipolar disorder and diabetes. He may have been suffering medical problems at the time, Coley said.
The man had been booked into the Snohomish County Jail on July 27 and held on suspicion of second-degree malicious mischief, but was released Saturday after no charges were filed, said Jim Harms, community corrections commander for the jail.
At times during the chase, troopers stopped pursuing Guilmet because he was driving increasingly recklessly, Leary said.
“The safety of the public was outweighing our reasons to chase at this point,” Leary said.
The Cavalier kept speeding, though, and troopers farther north on I-5 would again follow it and try to pull it over. They tried and failed in the Mount Vernon area.
They next picked up the pursuit in Whatcom County north of Old Fairhaven Parkway, where the Cavalier just missed hitting a trooper’s patrol car. A couple of minutes later, the Chevy crashed.
Anna Walters can be reached at anna.walters@bellinghamherald.com.
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