Prosthetic leg prompts lockdown near Bellingham hospital
By Associated PressBELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) - The woman suspected foul play was afoot.
She was half right.
Police barricaded streets near the south campus branch of St. Joseph Hospital after a woman called to report a man with an assault rifle walking into a medical office building. The assault rifle turned out to be a prosthetic leg, Bellingham Police Deputy Chief David Doll said.
The Chestnut Professional Building was locked down as police conducted a floor-by-floor search. When no suspect was found, police evacuated the building and the woman who reported the incident spotted the office worker who had carried the prosthetic leg, The Bellingham Herald reported.
"Everyone did everything right," Doll said. "Like we hoped, it turned out go be a good situation today."
The building houses offices for Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation and Whatcom Hospice Foundation, among others.
Responding agencies included the Whatcom County sheriff's office, Western Washington University Police and Washington State Patrol responded to the scene. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter patrolled the area to check the building's rooftop.
