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Canadian border closed after word that murder suspect was heading north

M. Alexander Otto; The News Tribune
Published: February 10th, 2006 08:33 PM

Traffic from Washington State into Canada has been slowed in some places in Whatcom County and stopped in others Friday night after U.S. authorities tipped off Canadian border inspectors that at least one armed-and-dangerous suspect was heading north from Renton in a small red car.
It was unclear whether the suspect or suspects were related to the triple homicide Wednesday in Tacoma. Newsroom staff members at BCTV in Vancouver, B.C., said they heard references to Tacoma on police scanners. However, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said his department has no suspects in the murder case.

The Interstate 5 Peace Arch crossing in Blaine has been closed on the Canadian side since about 5:30 p.m. The Washington State Patrol was diverting traffic to the Pacific Highway truck crossing, also in Blaine, a mile away, but it is only partially opened. The Sumas and Lynden crossings also are closed to U.S. traffic on the Canadian side, according to border inspector spokeswoman Faith St. John.

Southbound traffic into the United States was not affected.

The Canadian border inspectors, who are unarmed, got the tip about the suspect from U.S. authorities about 4:30 p.m., inspector Dan

Leibel said. After estimating how long it would take for the suspect's car to reach the border, they walked off the job at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings about an hour later, as is their right under Canadian work-safety law.

The Sumas and Lynden agents walked off later. In addition to safety concerns, agents at those crossings were showing solidarity with their union colleagues at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings and supporting inspectors’ rights to refuse unsafe work, St. John explained.

Canadian labor officials have been called in. Until they deem the crossings safe, Canadian inspectors "will not be going back," she said.

The boarder crossings were being manned by the inspectors’ nonunion supervisors, Leibel said, under the watch of armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There was no word on when the border would reopen.