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A man from Black Mountain, North Carolina was arrested after punching a minor at a mall, a sight that was captured on video and shared all over social media.
David Steven Bell, 51 years old, can be seen pushing and punching an 11-year-old girl in the face that brought her down to the ground, as seen in a Twitter video posted by a netizen (@dawszn) last Jan. 12. The incident happened outside a bookstore at Asheville Mall on the same day, Saturday. Apart from punching the 11-year-old, he also shoved two 13-year-old girls, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times on Jan 15.
Bell, who weighs 6’5 and weighs 250 pounds, faces a charge of assault on a child under 12, as well as two charges of assault on a female. The charges are all misdemeanors.
Meanwhile, Andy Banzhoff, Bell’s lawyer, has since said in a statement that Bell was only trying to help a woman who was being harassed by the group of youths outside the Barnes & Noble bookstore. Bell asked the staff of the bookstore to call security while he escorted the woman through a mall exit.
According to Banzhoff, the “large pack of youths” followed Bell and surrounded him so he could not leave. They also taunted and threatened him.
“His actions were not motivated by any animus towards the persons in that group,” Banzhoff said. “Mr. Bell’s belief is that all persons are created equal and that we are all children of God.”
He also said that his client has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but declined to comment when asked if Bell’s PTSD affected his decision to hit and push the girls.
Representatives of the 13-year-old girls have declined to comment, citing a need to speak with their families first before going public, as per an earlier report by the paper on Jan. 14. Bell is set to appear in court on Feb. 5. Cody Cepeda/JB
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