Yeager's Sporting Goods worker shoots would-be robber in Bellingham
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A Yeager's Sporting Goods store employee shot a would-be robber who smashed a glass gun case in an attempt to steal firearms Thursday, Bellingham Police said.
Police said officers were initially called to the Haggen grocery store on Meridian Street about 11:04 a.m. for a robbery.
An employee said two men came into the store, stole more than $500 worth of liquor and left without paying. One of the suspects implied that he had a gun and would use it if the employee continued to follow him.
Both suspects got in a car and left the store. Haggen workers were able to give officers the license plate number of the car.
About 15 minutes later, police were called to a robbery with shots fired at Yeager's Sporting Goods on Northwest Avenue.
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When officers arrived, they found a 37-year-old man on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was taken to a local hospital. The suspect's condition is unknown.
The second suspect from the Haggen store robbery was also taken to a hospital for an unrelated medical issue, police said.
The 37-year-old man who was shot is at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and will be booked for attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and attempted theft of a firearm.
He is a convicted felon who's not allowed to own a firearm. The car he was driving was stolen.
The Yeager's employee was not hurt during the attempted robbery.