A Hazel Dell man who reported being stabbed last week is now under a separate criminal investigation for allegedly making a false report about that incident after he was arrested Tuesday following a wrong-way driving incident on Interstate 5.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced Tuesday, July 28, that 35-year-old Marvin Badilla was booked into the Clark County Jail on probable cause for reckless driving, reckless endangerment and two counts of hit-and-run after deputies say he drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 before crashing into two parked vehicles at a Salmon Creek Safeway.
According to CCSO, deputies responded at about 7:55 a.m. on July 28 after receiving multiple reports of a wrong-way driver near Northeast 179th Street and Interstate 5.
At about the same time, Badilla called 911 and reported that he was being chased, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office.
Investigators reviewed I-5 traffic camera footage, which the sheriff's office stated showed Badilla's silver Toyota Prius but "did not show any vehicles actively pursuing or following him."
CCSO stated Badilla continued driving recklessly before arriving at the Safeway near Northeast Highway 99 and Northeast 129th Street, where investigators determined his vehicle struck two parked vehicles in the parking lot.
Deputies contacted Badilla inside the store and took him into custody without incident. He was medically evaluated by AMR personnel before being booked into jail, the release stated.
No injuries to community members were reported, CCSO added.
Following the arrest, the sheriff's office disclosed that Badilla is also under criminal investigation for false reporting connected to an alleged stabbing reported five days earlier in Hazel Dell.
The sheriff's office stated the investigation into the reported stabbing remains active and that no additional details are being released as of press time.
The investigation began around 8 p.m. on July 23 when Vancouver police responded to the Vancouver Mall for a report that a 35-year-old man called 911 to say he had been stabbed.
Officers found the man, Badilla, inside the bathroom of a store in the mall with multiple stab wounds and provided medical aid before emergency medical responders arrived.
The man then told officers he had been stabbed at his apartment in the 8400 block of Hazel Dell Avenue before driving himself to the mall to hide.
Mall surveillance footage confirmed the stabbing did not occur inside the mall, according to Vancouver police.
Because the reported assault occurred within the Clark County Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction, the case was transferred to sheriff's office detectives.
Deputies responding to the Hazel Dell apartment found blood evidence indicating an injured person had been there. Badilla was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
At the time, investigators stated they did not believe the incident was random and there was no known ongoing threat to the community, a prior release stated.
The sheriff's office has not announced whether investigators believe the stabbing itself was fabricated or whether the false reporting investigation involves statements made during the course of the investigation.
