- Paul Jonathan Bittner allegedly punched a black baby in entrance of a police station
- He allegedly informed the sixth-grader: ‘Are you going to speak to a white man like that?’
- Bittner has been positioned on a $500,000 bail
A white Washington man has been arrested and positioned on a $500,000 bail after he allegedly focused a black sixth-grader who was strolling along with his pals throughout a college journey.
Paul Jonathan Bittner, 42, was booked and charged with malicious harassment and second diploma assault of a kid, after he allegedly punched the boy within the face in entrance of a police station in Bellingham, Washington, on Wednesday June 12.
Bittner allegedly pushed the younger boy, who has not been named, earlier than asking him, to the impact: ‘Are you going to speak to a white man like that?’
He then punched the kid, leaving him with a chipped tooth. Native media reported that he ‘steadily’ hurled additional racial slurs as he was arrested.
Prosecutors reportedly requested for bail to be set at $1million, however Superior Court docket Commissioner Professional Tem Daniel McGreevy set it at $500,000 at Bittner’s first look on Thursday afternoon.
Paul Jonathan Bittner, 42, (pictured, proper) was booked and charged with malicious harassment and second diploma assault of a kid
Dozens of individuals packed into the small courtroom, together with relations of the assaulted boy in addition to members of the county’s racial fairness fee.
Additionally in attendance had been town’s mayor Kim Lund and police chief Rebecca Mertzig, who added in a video posted to Fb:
‘Hate isn’t welcome right here in Bellingham. We urge you to look out to your neighbours, and now we have programs in place to report and examine crimes of hate and bias-based incidents.’
The boy’s college, which had despatched him and the remainder of class on a visit to the Pickford Movie Centre, would not reveal the total extent of the boy’s horrible accidents, however confirmed that there was a ‘racial’ ingredient to the alleged assault.
Mischelle Darragh, principal of Whatcom Center Faculty, mentioned in a press release: ‘We’re indignant and shocked by what occurred immediately. These occasions are extraordinarily upsetting for everybody at our faculty and past.
‘We’re wrapping round our college students and doing all we will to assist them.’
The varsity district added in a press release: ‘Bellingham Public Colleges is totally against anti-Black racism, and racism in all kinds. Our dedication to range, fairness, and inclusion is not only a press release however a promise to all college students.
‘We acknowledge that racism is deeply rooted and impacts our programs and the lives of many people and households in profound methods. It’s a collective accountability to deal with and dismantle these injustices.’
