A White North Carolina man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly punching a young Black girl in the face outside of a mall, Newsweek reports.
David Stephen Bell, 51, was charged with assaulting a female under the age of 12 and with two counts of assaulting a female, an Asheville Police Department spokesperson told Newsweek.
A video that was shared online shows a group of young girls yelling at Bell outside Asheville Mall. Bell, who was described by activist Shan King as 6 foot 5 and 250 pounds, is seen pushing the young girl and then punching her in the face.
“I’m sorry to share this, but I need the police and prosecutors to feel our full wrath on this,” King wrote on Instagram. “Mall cops hardly took the thing seriously and local police charged the man with a damn misdemeanor.”
The young girl who was punched in the video declined medical attention, per Citizen Times.
"We are aware of the videos circulating on social media. The @AshevillePolice responded immediately and the situation was diffused,” Asheville Mall tweeted on Saturday. “An arrest has been made. Please contact the Asheville Police Department with further questions.”
