Carjacking suspect who allegedly sped across B.C.-U.S. border illegally entered the States before

A man allegedly armed with a machete, accused of stealing a pickup truck, speeding through the B.C. side of the Peace Arch border and leading police on a wild chase last week also illegally entered the United States in 2020, CBC News has learned.

Shawn Bergstrom is charged with second-degree assault, hit-and-run, possession of a stolen vehicle, reckless driving and eluding police in connection to last Thursday's incident.

According to documents obtained by CBC News, Bergstrom was ticketed $80 US for illegally entering the U.S. in Sumas, Wash., about 75 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, in October 2020. A border patrol agent said he responded to a report of a person crossing the border illegally around 4:15 a.m.

He found Bergstrom, who matched the report's description, walking on a road and asked him about his citizenship. 

Bergstrom said he was a Canadian citizen and admitted to "just crossing the U.S./Canada border at a place other than a port of entry," the agent wrote. 

Bergstrom was then sent back to Canada, according to the documents.

On probation in Canada

According to other documents obtained by CBC News, Bergstrom was on probation during last week's alleged carjacking and border crossing incident.

He was sentenced to nine months probation for an assault committed in January of this year in Nanaimo, B.C., records show. He was also handed a three-year firearms ban.

RCMP said they're working with the B.C. Prosecution Service on charges related to last week's incident, but no charges had been laid as of Tuesday afternoon.

Bergstrom is still in custody in Whatcom County, which borders B.C.'s Lower Mainland.

Bergstrom was denied bail on Friday and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine whether he's competent to proceed with the court process, according to U.S. prosecutor Caleb Nagel.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Bergstrom sped into the Peace Arch border crossing, which connects Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., ignored commands from officers to stop and then hit another vehicle. He also nearly hit a border officer, officials said. 

After a nearly 50 kilometre police chase on the Interstate 5, Bergstrom, who was found with a machete, was arrested, according to police.

Court documents state that after officers stopped Bergstrom, "a 10-minute standoff ensued where the suspect threw out a large machete and apologized because he smoked weed."