Here's a Photo of the Homemade Guillotine That a Bellingham Man Used to Cut His Own Arm Off
Bellingham police officers still aren't sure why a homeless man would decide to construct a homemade guillotine and then lop his own arm off with it.
But they've released this photo of the medieval contraption all the same.
Seattle Weekly just got a copy of the photo from Bellingham Police Department, following a public-disclosure request.
Let's just say it's, um, bigger than we expected.
BPD Public Information Officer Mark Young tells us that the device was built out of "scavenged" wood, and that the blade was made out of sheet metal.
When the man, 32, showed up at a medical clinic last week sans arm, he apparently wouldn't tell anyone where the limb was. But when officers discovered the guillotine at a makeshift camp site nearby, they found the arm lying at the base of it (note the blood on the guillotine).
What has still eluded officers is the man's reasons for doing what he did. The man apparently has been "uncooperative" and has refused to explain his motives.
"We suspect he was suffering from mental issues," Young tells Seattle Weekly. "He made some indirect statements that made it seem as if he had wanted to harm himself. And we could only assume by his actions that he did indeed wish to harm himself."
The man is currently at Harborview Medical Center, where he's listed in stable condition. He will not be charged with a crime, as cutting your own arm off is apparently not illegal.
The guillotine has since been dismantled.
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