Bellingham man allegedly hurls car seat with 3-month-old in it into parking lot

A Bellingham man is suspected of removing a car seat with a 3-month-old boy in it and hurling it into a parking lot during an argument.

Bellingham Police booked Daniel Lee Svege, 29, into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday and he was charged with reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment, harassment and fourth-degree assault. Jail records show he was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Officers were called at 3:44 p.m. Dec. 23 to the Bakerview Fred Meyer for a welfare check following a 911 call by a woman who said a man was trying to kidnap her, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email. The 911 dispatchers reportedly heard a man shout “get out” and the woman say “guess he is going to let us go.”

Officers located and spoke to the victim near the Spring Hill Suites after she called to report Svege had left in a green Chevrolet Tahoe, Murphy reported. Other officers located Svege northbound on Interstate 5 in the Tahoe, stopped it and detained him.

The victim reported that Svege had become angry with her and said he wasn’t going to take the woman or her 5-year-old and 3-month-old children home and locked the doors to the Tahoe.

The victim reported Svege said he would “bash” her head if she called 911, Murphy reported, but the victim called anyway and Svege pulled the Tahoe into the hotel parking lot.

Witnesses reported seeing Svege yank the victim and a 5-year-old boy out of the Tahoe and then grab the child seat with the 3-month-old strapped in and hurl it into the parking lot, where it rolled upside down, according to Murphy.

The 3-month-old sustained an abrasion to his forehead during the incident, Murphy reported.