Bellingham police arrested a man Saturday night following a report of a racially motivated attack in Cornwall Park.
The assault was reported shortly before 5 p.m. by the victim, who told police he was near a staircase near the playground when he saw another man — identified as Timothy Franklin, 51, of Bellingham — looking at him. Franklin became aggressive and began calling the man racial slurs before punching him several times in the face, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy of the Bellingham Police Department.
Murphy said the victim fell to the ground during the attack and witnessed Franklin lifting a screwdriver.
The man was able to call 911 after Franklin stopped the attack and left. He provided a clear description of his attacker and kept him in view until officers arrived. Officers chased Franklin into a wooded area, where they arrested him without incident.
The victim was taken to PeaceHealth St Joseph’s Emergency Department for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He also told officers that he did not know Franklin, that the attack was unprovoked and that he believed the attack was racially motivated.
Franklin was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault and commission of a hate crime.
The incident follows another Potential Hate Crime Arrest June 13, when a man allegedly assaulted a young black man who was on a field trip with his high school classmates. The gang was walking through the center in front of the Bellingham Police Department when the attack allegedly occurred.
