Bob Mackin
theBreaker.news has obtained Washington State Patrol (WSP) dashcam and body-worn camera footage showing the climax of an armed carjacking that began in Richmond, B.C. on Dec. 12, 2024.
The accused, Shawn Douglas Bergstrom, was almost one-third of the way through a nine-month Provincial Court probation order for a January 2024 assault in Nanaimo. The 42-year-old of no fixed address is scheduled to appear March 27 at Whatcom County Superior Court in Bellingham.
The video and related photographs and police reports about the incident were released to theBreaker.news after an application under Washington State’s freedom of information law.
The incident originated at 4411 No. 3 Road in Richmond where a man produced what was described as a large knife and demanded the driver hand over the keys to his black 2007 Toyota Tacoma. The suspect permitted the pickup truck’s owner to remove some personal effects before it was driven away. The victim reported the theft to Richmond RCMP at 12:37 p.m.
Around 1:22 p.m., the pickup truck was involved in a hit and run at the Peace Arch border crossing, where a 2021 Ford Bronco SUV was knocked out of the lineup at U.S. Customs.
WSP, Whatcom County Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers pursued the Toyota Tacoma south on Interstate 5, from milepost 255 to 238. Speeds ranged from 64 to 160 kilometres-per-hour through light traffic.
A WSP trooper unsuccessfully threw a spike belt into the path of the stolen pickup truck near the Bow Hill Rest Area. Another trooper performed what is known as a precision immobilization technique, or a PIT maneuver, to force the driver to lose control.
The vehicle rotated and became stuck at the side of the road, ending the 109 km journey.
Bergstrom emerged from the pickup truck and, after a 12-minute standoff, was arrested. Officers found a machete nearby. It was eventually handed over to Richmond RCMP.
Bergstrom, 42, underwent a sobriety test and was found to be not impaired. An officer’s report, however, said “the driver might have been suffering from a mental health illness based on his odd statements and erratic behaviour.”
Bergstrom was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding police, reckless driving, hit and run and second degree assault. After he was booked, Bergstrom was transferred to Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Wash. under the Washington Department of Social and Health Services competency restoration program to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
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