Bellingham man arrested on hate crime charge after attack in Cornwall Park

Bellingham police arrested a man Saturday night after reporting a racially motivated attack at Cornwall Park.

The attack was reported just before 5 p.m. by the victim, who told police he was near a playground ladder when he saw another man — identified as Timothy Franklin, 51, of Bellingham — looking at it. Franklin became aggressive and began calling him racial slurs before punching him several times in the face, the lieutenant said. Claudia Murphy of the Bellingham Police.

Murphy said the victim fell to the ground during the attack and saw Franklin pick 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 assailant 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 the PeaceHealth St Joseph 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 hate crime arrest on June 13, when a man allegedly attacked a young black man on a field trip with his high school classmates. The class was walking downtown in front of the Bellingham Police Department when the attack allegedly occurred.