The Bellingham Police arrested a 51-year-old man Saturday afternoon, June 29 in connection to an alleged assault that took place at Cornwall Park that the victim described as a hate crime.
Officers responded to the park around 4:50 p.m. after the victim of the assault called to report an aggravated assault with a screwdriver, said Claudia Murphy, a Bellingham Police lieutenant.
The victim, described as a 31-year-old white man, was near a set of stairs by the playground when he noted the suspect was looking at him, Murphy said. The suspect, who is Black, allegedly asked the victim what he was looking at and used a racial slur. After the victim responded he wasn’t looking at anything, the suspect allegedly immediately approached and began to hit the victim in the face with his fist while using slurs.
The victim fell to the ground and the suspect allegedly continued to punch him, before raising a screwdriver, Murphy said. The victim feared for his life and thought he was going to be killed with the screwdriver.
The suspect then stopped and ran off, with the victim following and calling 911, Murphy said.
The victim was able to give a clear description of the suspect, who law enforcement saw running on a trail in the wooded area of the park and followed him, Murphy said. The suspect was caught and taken into custody without incident. A screwdriver was found in the suspect’s possession.
The victim told law enforcement he did not know the suspect and thought that the assault was unprovoked and because of his race, Murphy said.
The suspect was arrested on probable cause for two charges, second-degree assault and a hate crime offense, Murphy said.
The suspect was booked into the Whatcom County Jail around 6 p.m., according to the online jail roster. The suspect has not been formally charged as of Saturday night.
Saturday’s incident is the second alleged hate crime in June. An 11-year-old Black child was attacked on June 13 by a 42-year-old white man while on a school field trip. The suspect, Paul Bittner, pleaded not guilty to commission of a hate crime, a class C felony, and second-degree assault, a class B felony.
On Saturday, June 22, a young woman was attacked while running in a remote area of Lake Padden. Police are currently investigating the attack and no arrests have been made yet.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
