Bellingham police arrested a man Saturday evening following a report of a racially motivated assault at Cornwall Park.
The assault was reported just before 5 p.m. by the assault victim, a 31-year-old male who told police he was near a set of stairs by the playground when he saw another male — 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 with the Bellingham Police Department. Murphy said the victim is white and the assailant is black. The victim reportedly fell to the ground during the assault and witnessed Franklin raise a screwdriver.
The man was able to call 911 after Franklin stopped the assault and walked away. He provided a clear description of his attacker and kept him in sight 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 he did not know Franklin, that the assault 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 comes in the wake of another potential hate crime arrest June 12, when a man allegedly assaulted a young Black boy who was on a field trip with his middle school classmates. The class was walking downtown in front of the Bellingham Police Department when the attack allegedly occurred.
