A North Carolina Man Who Punches a Crowd of Kids in a Mall Has Been Ordered to Take Part in a Racial Justice Workshop
An North Carolina man who punched multiple children in a crowd outside a mall has been ordered to attend a racial justice workshop as part of his sentence. David Steven Bell of Black Mountain plead guilty on Monday for assaulting an 11-year-old girl after the video footage went viral in January on social media. Bell was described in an incident report as 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, and during their fight pushed and hit one girl over 13, knocking her unconscious before pushing two additional 13-year-old girls. As per Buncombe County Clerk’s Office reports, one misdemeanor assault charge against Bell was brought forward for attacking under 12 year-old girl in addition to one count of pushing female in that fight; another two female charges against Bell were later dropped.
Not exactly sure why this incident escalated from an argument among teens into a fight, many social media commenters have condemned Bell for what they consider unjustified and racist actions; his lawyer asserts otherwise; they claim he was simply protecting himself against an aggressive group of youths near the mall entrance who appeared to be taunting him.
Andy Banzhoff issued a statement that detailed Bell’s feelings of threat and regretted using physical force to defend themselves in order to help a woman who was being harassed by youths, but regretted using such violent means in self-defense. He stated:
Witnesses told WCNC Charlotte they were at the mall at the time of a brawl that quickly spiraled out of control, though many were afraid to identify those involved due to their aggressive nature. One witness claimed they saw teenagers punching each other while another saw police officers blocking efforts by bystanders trying to intervene and try and control things themselves.
Witnesses reported seeing several teens “attack each other” near an AMC movie theater where people were waiting to watch Birds of Prey. She described hearing people screaming and running for safety while worrying someone might get injured in the melee. As soon as the group moved away from AMC to mall, another witness expressed fear that fighting might break out again and that police may not be able to control it.
After the incident, Asheville Mall announced on social media: “We are aware of videos circulating online and working with local law enforcement to gather more information. According to our policy, teens under 18 must be supervised by someone 21+ when visiting Friday through Sunday hours at our mall.”
Channel 9 reports on statements by an unidentified mother of an area middle schooler that believes her daughter has been targeted by other students for being a snitch, according to Channel 9. She hopes the group of individuals responsible will also learn their lessons.