FERNDALE - A man grabbed a woman from behind and slashed her neck and face with a box knife while she was withdrawing money from an ATM Monday, July 28.
The 24-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was using the ATM outside the Whatcom Educational Credit Union branch, 5695 Barrett Road, about 8:30 a.m. when the man grabbed her.
She offered him her purse, but he didn't take it, said Ferndale Police Lt. Matt Huffman. The two struggled briefly before the man ran off, leaving her with several cuts on her neck and cheeks.
She was taken to St. Joseph Hospital, where doctors had to stitch up the cuts, according to the Ferndale Police Department.
Meanwhile, Ferndale police, assisted by the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, Bellingham Police officers with dogs, and Department of Homeland Security helicopters, tracked Joseph R. Smith, 20, to a nearby field, just off northbound Interstate 5 between mileposts 262 and 263.
Police lined the shoulder of the freeway and were staked out in various spots in the field for approximately 45 minutes, searching for Smith, who was hiding in the brush.
Police dogs found Smith in the field at about 9:43 a.m. He suffered a dog bite on a leg in the process.
Smith was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault, Huffman said.
According to police, Smith confessed to the attack, but he didn't take anything from the victim. Police are trying to determine a motive for the assault.
Credit union officials declined to comment on the incident.