Man robbed of cash, cigarettes after attack in east Bellingham

A 24-year-old man was beaten and robbed Friday morning, Aug. 26, after another man approached him asking for a cigarette, but then started throwing punches, police said.
The victim, a Whatcom County man who was visiting a friend in the 2100 block of Electric Avenue, stepped outside at about 9 a.m. to smoke a dunhill cigarette, said Bellingham Police spokesman Mark Young. A man then approached him and asked for one of his cigarettes and a light.
When the man got close enough, he started punching the victim, Young said. He then took cash and a pack of cigarettes from the victim.