Standoff at Whatcom motel ends nearly 6 hours after man with rifle locks himself in room

46-year-old man arrested after standoff with police at Whatcom County motel Tuesday

A suspect has been taken into custody approximately 6 hours after he reportedly fled from police and locked himself inside a Whatcom County motel room with a AR-style rifle Tuesday.

City of Ferndale spokesperson Riley Sweeney confirmed to The Bellingham Herald in an email that the suspect was safely taken into custody at approximately 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4.

“The Ferndale Police would like to thank all of our partner agencies for their support during this incident,” Sweeney wrote in his latest update on the incident, adding that more information would be released after the situation is resolved.

The Ferndale Police Department first reported the incident on social media, saying they were responding to a situation at the intersection of Barrett Road and Main Street.

“Please avoid the area if possible,” the Facebook post reads.

The incident began when Ferndale Police attempted to make a traffic stop of a white Chevrolet Blazer on suspicion of making an illegal turn and having no license plates and an unreadable temporary tag, city of Ferndale spokesperson Riley Sweeney told The Bellingham Herald in an email.

The person driving the Blazer pulled into the Haggen’s parking lot, Sweeney reported, but when police attempted to speak to him, a man opened the driver’s side and pointed an AR-style rifle at officers.

The Blazer then drove off, with police following, according to Sweeney. The Blazer was located near Main Street and Interstate 5, and the suspect was seen entering the nearby Super 8 Motel, Sweeney reported.

Ferndale police set up a perimeter around the motel and the SWAT team responded to the scene, Sweeney reported.

People already in the motel were told to stay in their rooms, Sweeney told The Herald, and the McDonald’s restaurant in the area also was placed on lockdown. Sweeney said Kid’s World Ferndale was still allowing children to be dropped off.

“Right now we’re asking people to avoid the intersection, as police work to bring this situation to an end as swiftly and safely as possible,” Sweeney told The Herald early Tuesday.