Birch Bay manhunt leads to arrest after assault with knife

A Birch Bay manhunt for a 34-year-old man who reportedly assaulted a victim with a knife ended when he was captured covered in blood and later booked into Whatcom County Jail on April 12. The man had a domestic violence no-contact order with the victim.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies responded to an assault with a knife report in the 8000 block of Harborview Road around 7 p.m. April 12, WCSO spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light. The suspect, 34-year-old Blaine resident Joshua Hayward, had reportedly attempted to enter the victim’s home through the windows before entering by the locked screen door, according to WCSO.
Once inside the home, he hit the victim in the head several times and then rifled through the victim’s bedroom. After the victim followed him into the bedroom, Hayward proceeded to punch the victim in the head and struck them with a small, metal safe. He put medication from the safe in his backpack.
The victim picked up a knife for self-defense and followed Hayward to the living room in an effort to retrieve the medication. Hayward struggled with the victim to gain control of the knife and then cut the victim’s forearm, according to WCSO.
Hayward fled by foot westbound on Harborview Road before deputies arrived. WCSO used a K-9 unit to search for Hayward who was found hiding in the woods about a mile away, Slater said. Law enforcement officers arrested Hayward without incident and found the missing prescription medication bottle in his backpack.
Officers found probable cause to charge Hayward with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft. Hayward is also now facing a felony violation for breaking an active domestic violence no-contact order he has with the victim.