Man arrested following report of assault outside Bellingham homeless shelter
Update (Feb. 2, 2026): Netjo Djukanovich pleaded guilty to amended charges of third and fourth-degree assault on Jan. 29. He was sentenced to one month in jail followed by a year in community custody.
The original article appears below.
A Bellingham man has been charged with second-degree assault after attacking a man outside Lighthouse Mission Ministries’ homeless shelter.
Bellingham Police Department Lt. Claudia Murphy said a fight broke out inside the shelter on Friday night, and Netjo Djukanovich, 32, pushed another man in the chest. He was escorted outside where he encountered a second man and punched him in the side of the head unprovoked.
Murphy said the man tried to walk away, but fell to the ground after losing consciousness. He was checked over by first responders and was not taken to hospital. Djukanovich fled the scene before officers arrived, Murphy said.
The next morning, officers were called back to the shelter because Djukanovich was seen around the front doors. He was arrested and charged with second-degree, a class B felony, and fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor. As of Wednesday morning, he remains in custody at the Whatcom County Jail on $15,000 bond.
This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 10:15 AM.