U.S. border at Blaine shut down after police chase, shots fired

BLAINE, Whatcom County — One person was shot after a brief car chase that ended at the Canadian border, sheriff's deputies said today.

The Peace Arch border crossing was closed after the 2 p.m. incident.

Whatcom County sheriffs' deputies received a tip that two people wanted in a California murder investigation may have been headed to the area, sheriff's spokesman Jeff Parks told Bellingham radio station KGMI.

Shots were fired as two people were arrested, and Sheriff Bill Elfo said one person was wounded.

The severity of the person's wound was not immediately known. No other persons were reported injured.

The crossing at the end of Interstate 5 is one of the border's busiest. Traffic was diverted to the Pacific Highway crossing about a mile to the east as authorities investigated the shooting.