BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A Bellingham man facing hate crime charges after allegedly punching a middle school student in the face last week was arraigned Friday.
Paul Jonathan Bittner, 42, was charged on June 14 with a hate crime and second-degree assault of a child in connection to an incident on June 12, according to court documents. Bittner pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday.
On June 12, Bellingham Police Department officers responded after reports indicated a child from Whatcom Middle School was punched near the Whatcom County Courthouse.
According to charging documents, a group of middle school students were walking when Bittner crossed the road and started walking in front of the students. Shortly after, court documents said Bittner turned toward an 11-year-old Black student, punched him in the face, pushed him backward and said, "Are you gonna talk to a white man like that?"
The child told police he was talking to his friend moments before the assault. Based on what Bittner allegedly said, the child believed the random assault was because of his race.
Officials said the 11-year-old suffered a chipped tooth on his lower jaw.
Bittner was found in the 200 block of Prospect Street the same day and put into custody. According to charging documents, Bittner used racial epithets against Black people while in the back of the police patrol vehicle.
Investigators said surveillance video captured the attack.
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