Bellingham police arrested a man Saturday evening after reporting a racially motivated attack at Cornwall Park.
The attack was reported just before 5 p.m. by the victim of the assault, who told police he was near a staircase at the playground when he saw another man — identified as Timothy Franklin, 51, of Bellingham — watching him. Franklin became aggressive and began calling the man racial slurs before punching him multiple times in the face, Bellingham police Lt. Claudia Murphy said.
Murphy said the victim fell to the ground during the attack and saw Franklin holding up a screwdriver.
The man was able to call 911 after Franklin stopped the attack and ran away. He gave 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 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 committing a hate crime.
The incident follows another possible arrest for a hate crime on June 13, when a man allegedly attacked a young black boy who was on a field trip with his high school classmates. The class was walking downtown in front of the Bellingham Police Department when the attack reportedly occurred.
