Police investigating series of assaults near campus; sketch released

​Bellingham (WA) Between 1:20 and 2:00 this morning the Bellingham Police received two 911 calls about a bearded man that had assaulted women in the Sehome neighborhood.  On both occasions the assaults were sexually motivated.

The first assault occurred at 1:22 a.m. in the 800 block of E. Chestnut Street.  Two women (21 and 22 years old) were walking together when a man on a bicycle rode up behind them and grabbed the butt of one of the women.  When confronted the man said that he wanted oral sex and said that he had a knife in his pocket.  The victim of the assault told him she was calling the police and the man immediately rode away on his bicycle.  He was last seen heading southwest.

The second assault occurred at 1:53 a.m. in the 300 block of N. Garden Street.  A 29 year old female was walking southbound and noticed a man lurking in a shadowy area.  She confronted the man stating "hey man you scared me".  The man responded by running at the woman and grabbing her around the neck with one arm.  With his free hand he held the point of a pocket knife to her throat.  He demanded oral sex while stating that he had a knife.  The woman screamed as loud as she could.  The man immediately fled on foot.

The description of the suspect in both assaults is almost identical; a white male, mid to late 20's, about 6 feet tall, long dark beard, curly shaggy dark hair, wearing a beanie, a brown button up shirt and blue jeans. He had a smaller backpack.  The pocket knife was described as being like a swiss army knife.

The safety of all Western students, employees, and guests is always of paramount concern.  In light of recent assaults in areas neighboring the Western campus, WWU and Bellingham Police have enhanced security on campus and through the surrounding neighborhoods.  Western’s University Police Public Safety Assistants (Green Coats) also are available from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. to students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus to provide safety escorts on campus.  In addition, Western offers community members, visitors, and family and friends of WWU students the opportunity to sign up for Western Alert, Western's emergency response notification system. See: https://www.getrave.com/login/wwu 

In the event of an emergency or to report suspicious activity, University Police can be reached at (360) 650-3350 and 3911. Bellingham Police can be reached via 911.