Bellingham man arrested, charged with hate crime in Cornwall Park attack

Bellingham police arrested a man Saturday night following a report of 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 set of stairs near the playground when he saw another man — identified as Timothy Franklin, 51, of Bellingham — staring at him . Franklin became aggressive and began calling him racial slurs before punching him several times in the face, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy of the Bellingham Police Department.

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 left. 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 potential hate crime arrest on June 13, when a man allegedly assaulted a young black man who was on a field trip with his schoolmates. The class was walking downtown in front of the Bellingham Police Department when the attack allegedly occurred.