An American man who tried to evade Washington State police was captured at the Peace Arch border crossing by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers.
"Three agencies worked together to get this suspect in custody," says Kelsey Harding, a Washington State Patrol trooper.
The incident all started in Bellingham on Sunday. According to Harding, an attempted robbery took place at a TJ Maxx and a suspect rammed a trooper’s vehicle trying to flee the scene.
“They advised the suspect had an airsoft gun,” says Harding.
The suspect, believed to be from Washington State, drove onto Interstate 5 and a pursuit was initiated, but very quickly terminated.
“The [person] was driving on the shoulder at high speeds and things like that,” says Harding. “They decided to terminate for safety reasons.”
A witness called Washington State Patrol to report the suspect was still driving northbound on Interstate 5 and past milepost 270.
“Which means getting close enough up on I-5 northbound, that it’s more than likely they're going to be at the border,” says Harding.
Border patrol was alerted about the suspect.
At about 5:30 p.m., a vehicle drove through the grassy area of the border. In a video posted to social media, a man can be seen driving and stopping the vehicle. Close behind is a police cruiser with its lights on.
“Then the suspect got out and ran on foot and that's when the border patrol was able to get him in custody,” says Harding.
Eisa Eisa was at the border crossing with his fellow BCIT classmates when the incident unfolded.
“I was taking a picture and suddenly I saw the car drove in the park and the police was trying to catch him,” he said.
He took out his phone and managed to capture the suspect running.
The incident didn’t last very long, he recalled.
“It was very fast.”
Harding tells Glacier Media “the Canadian customs” were the ones to get the suspect into custody.
“Officers at the Douglas port of entry observed an individual running northbound towards the border crossing,” states Karine Martel, a spokesperson with CBSA.
Canada Border Services Agency confirms officers intercepted an individual without incident and conducted an interview before transferring them to Washington State Patrol.
“This is very minor considering what it could have been. It's great to be able to work with other agencies and call on them to successfully help us get somebody in custody,” says Harding. “It was a team effort.”
The Washington State Patrol officer who had their vehicle rammed was uninjured. It’s believed some vehicles were damaged as the suspect was trying to flee.
Jordan Joshua Richardson faces the following Washington State charges: attempting to elude a police vehicle, assault, and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is also facing an assault and theft charge from Bellingham Police from Sunday.
