He was suspected of car theft in Whatcom County. Things went downhill from there

A Mount Vernon man is facing charges of car theft and first-degree malicious mischief after the muscle car he was suspected of stealing caught fire and burned as he tried to flee.

Collin Manuel Lewis, 32, was being held without bail in the Whatcom County Jail on Thursday, Dec. 1, after his early morning arrest in a field east of Birch Bay, according to online jail records.

Lewis was being held on suspicion of several charges, including car theft, first- and third-degree malicious mischief, resisting arrest and first-degree driving with a suspended license.

A neighbor made video of the incident, said Deb Slater, spokeswoman for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies were sent to the 4400 block of Boone Road, just south of Birch Bay-Lynden Road, for a report of a suspicious vehicle about 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Slater told The Bellingham Herald in an email.

They found a 2015 Dodge Charger that had become stuck after crashing through a fence and some bushes, and the driver was revving the engine and trying to get free, she said.

But he was simply spinning the tires.

“As deputies approached, a male got out of the vehicle and ran into the bushes. He was located but would not follow commands to come out. Instead, he ran away. Deputies again located the male and told him he was under arrest. While deputies attempted to place him into handcuffs, he resisted arrest and attempted to run away again. Deputies were eventually able to place him into custody,” Slater said.

Meanwhile, the Charger burst into flames and firefighters from Whatcom Fire and Rescue were sent to put it out.

Slater said the Charger, which was valued at $36,000, was reported stolen from a Blaine dealership, Royal Emerald Motors.

Repairs to the fence were valued at $400, she said.