B.C. suspect in cross-border carjacking incident to undergo psych evaluation

The carjacking suspect arrested following a wild police chase though Washington state on Thursday has been denied bail pending a psychological evaluation.

B.C. resident Shawn Bergstrom was taken into custody along Interstate 5 after he allegedly stole a black pickup truck in Metro Vancouver, then sped across the Peace Arch border crossing, an incident that triggered a massive response from U.S. law enforcement.

He was scheduled to appear Friday in Whatcom County Superior Court on several charges – including second-degree assault, reckless driving, attempting to elude police, hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle – but was ordered to undergo the psychological evaluation instead.

Canadian police have shared few details on the carjacking that started the international incident, except that it happened in Richmond and that the victim was not physically harmed.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a black Toyota Tacoma then approached the Peace Arch crossing at a “high rate of speed,” and ignored calls from guards to stop before entering Washington.

A witness told CTV News she watched from the Nexus lane as the pickup sped toward the border.

“I see in the rearview mirror this black truck just coming at me, and I’m like what the heck is he doing?” said Kuldeep Singh. “Are you trying to kill somebody?”

Singh said the truck slammed into the back of an SUV and pushed it across the border, then took off into the U.S. as alarms and sirens were blaring.

“My heart was racing,” she said. “It wasn’t until I got home that it hit me what had happened.”

The incident sparked a lengthy chase involving border guards and troopers from Washington State Patrol, who pursued the suspect past both the communities of Blaine and Bellingham.

Officers were eventually able to stop the pickup using a PIT maneuver – when police ram into the back of suspect vehicle, causing the driver to lose control – near the Bow Hill rest area, approximately 70 kilometres south of the border. A machete was seized from the scene. 

Trooper Brad Tulloch said the driver sped up and slowed down during the chase, at times going as fast as 160 km/h and as slow as 32 km/h.

At one point, the suspect removed his seatbelt and “tried to jump into the backseat,” Tulloch said.

In addition to the collision at the border, police said the stolen pickup “nearly struck” a guard while heading into the U.S.

Bergstrom has yet to face any charges in Canada. Richmond RCMP said it is continuing to investigate the carjacking incident, and that it currently has no further details to share.

With files from CTV National News’s Andrew Johnson