BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Blaine man is facing hate crime and assault charges following an attack at a bar in downtown Bellingham.
Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy says the victim told officers that he was playing pool at a bar with his boyfriend just after midnight on Saturday, Dec. 21, when he heard someone using racial slurs and trying to start a fight.
The victim says he went over to intervene, but the offender called him a homophobic slur before punching him in the face and attempting to gouge his eye out. The victim claims he had to bite the suspect in order to stop the attack.
Multiple witnesses told officers that they saw the altercation and helped them identify the suspect.
Officers found the 25-year-old man and arrested him on suspicion of committing a hate crime and assault.
Murphy adds that the man was also heard uttering another homophobic slur while at the jail.
