Assault witness believes accused was trying to stop fight before shoving, striking child

[RBP]

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A witness to an assault at the Asheville Mall believes the accused was trying to stop a fight between juveniles before police say he shoved and struck a child.

Cellphone videos of a man shown shoving and punching a girl under 12 years old have taken social media by storm.

Fifty-one-year-year-old David Bell of Black Mountain is accused by police of assaulting the child in an incident that happened Saturday at the Asheville Mall.

Asheville police say a fight involving juveniles broke out at the mall that evening, and during the fight, Bell shoved a girl and struck her.

An off-duty officer arrested him. Bell is charged with one count of assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female.

With the permission of her parents, News 13 obtained an exclusive video from a juvenile eyewitness.

The witness who took the News 13 video says a fight was about to break out between two girls, and that the group of young people had gathered to record cellphone video of what was happening.

She believes David Bell was trying to stop the fight, but, she says, the arguing escalated into pushing and shoving between him and others.

She says Bell began pushing the kids into walls, doors and even the road, trying to break up the fight.

She further says that one girl whom Bell had pushed asked Bell respectfully why he was pushing them, and that Bell then began arguing with her and pushed her again.

She says when the girl approached Bell again after being shoved, he struck her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

The juvenile witness says that Bell then began walking away as kids at the scene began throwing things at Bell and chasing him down, so that the officer could arrest him.

The confrontation led to charges.

The News 13 video is blurred to protect the identities of the juveniles in the video, but still provides a clear look at the shove, followed by a punch.

https://wlos.com/news/local/assault-...striking-child

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These are internet organized flash mobs that descend on malls to be disruptive. "This bitch be bussin'"

[RBP]

Free David Bell!

Full video



please

Unreal. I didn't read the story until you posted this, just saw the video the other day. Hope he's let off.

I just saw the video. Massive push and punch and any conflict was easily avoided.

I couldn't disagree more. Enjoy your ( deserved) jail time, child abuser.

Really? I just saw an adult drop a female child with a huge punch. Because she was yelling at him?

It was an aggressive threatening mob that surrounded him after he tried to help someone. He was shoved from behind, then shoved from the front. He response to the front shove was to push her back. She came back at him attempting to throw a punch and got leveled.

1. He was NOT the aggressor.
2. He is not responsible for assessing threat level, or risk of weapons, like police officer. There was clearly no crowd control to assist, and he can't assume good intentions with a mob.
2. Pure self-defense.
3. We would not be having this discussion if it was an aggressive threatening mob of white boys. We would be discussing the glaring examples of toxic masculinity.

Sorry, in the middle of a mob action, don't attack a veteran with PTSD. You might end up on your ass with a black eye, and deservedly so.

Does it look like excessive force? Yes. But he eliminated the threat; I can't judge that as an attack that warrants criminal charges.

Tl;dr - bitch got what she deserved

I agree

Posts from other thread... argue away.

[KevinD]

Ok. I just watched the vid. No telling what happened before, but what I see is a bunch of juvenile retards fucking with a grown man. As for the punch, after he pushed the girl away, she came back at him with hands raised, and in fists like she was gonna attack him. So he swung first. While I dont condone hitting a kid, I can very, very easily imagine what led up to this and totally understand.

[RBP]

Juveniles get charged as adults every day.

[Hal-9000]

I've been in a lot of fights. From what I can see here he overreacted.

He walked into a volatile situation with the intent of doing what? Is he a cop or just someone wanting to to help?

If it's the latter he's taking a big chance with his analysis of the situation. I saw him get pushed from behind once, then he turned, hesitated and pushed someone else hard. Then he gave the same girl a close up left punch that dropped her to the ground.

In my view, his use of force wasn't necessary and at no point did he appear to be in trouble. He inserted himself into the 'trouble' and made a judgment call.

Keep in mind I've been in this situation more than once and I do understand the desire to diffuse a situation when I felt someone was being threatened. This is the context I'm missing here. I can't see him defending anyone in particular and/or himself during the video. No weapons are brandished, no one struck him and his response seems over zealous and unnecessary.

Why couldn't he grab her arms, hold her, keep pushing her away rather than full force punch her? People have died from punches to the head and with the size difference he could of broken her jaw or worse. I won't say - 'It's just a bunch of little girls', because I recognize that 13 year old girls can and have injured, killed people in the past. Not by pushing someone though.

[RBP]

He agrees he used more force than the situation required, IN RETROSPECT. We can all armchair quarterback it, but he made an instantaneous reaction to a perceived threat. He was not the aggressor here.

I can say all day that I would have reacted differently, but can I be sure of that? Nope.

[Hal-9000]

If a girl or a person came at me and tried to scratch my eyes out, or kick me in the nuts, or even slap my face, the situation changes and becomes fluid. (for me)

When I say I've been in a lot of fights, it's not to appear tough or become the resident expert. I've made my mistakes and taken two beatings.

What I do have though, is the benefit of watching situations develop in the moment and using whatever amount of force (or not) to address it.

There is no armchair quarterbacking or benefit of hindsight looking at this instance. If that was me in the same moment, I would have never closed-fist punched that girl. There was no need.

[RBP]

Okay. That doesn't make him guilty of assault for defending himself.

[Hal-9000]

Okay. That doesn't make him guilty of assault for defending himself.

I think he's guilty of assault exactly because of my view of what constitutes his need to defend himself.

But I'm not the judge in his case. They have video and witnesses, none of this - he said, she said blind testimony, so it will be interesting in how they rule.

[DemonGeminiX]

If that was me in the same moment, I would have never closed-fist punched that girl. There was no need.

[lost in melb.]

Sorry, in the middle of a mob action, don't attack a veteran with PTSD. You might end up on your ass with a black eye, and deservedly so."

It's tough having PTSD, but I think the onus is on him to manage his behaviour.

He could have easily killed her with that punch. If he can't control himself he shouldn't be allowed on the streets until he can.

[DemonGeminiX]

If she's under 12 then why is she attacking an adult?

[RBP]

Sorry, in the middle of a mob action, don't attack a veteran with PTSD. You might end up on your ass with a black eye, and deservedly so."

It's tough having PTSD, but I think the onus is on him to manage his behaviour.

He could have easily killed her with that punch. If he can't control himself he shouldn't be allowed on the streets until he can.

I wasn't suggesting his split second decision for how to defend himself in the middle of mob action was the result of his PTSD.

[DemonGeminiX]

I'm sorry, but I've watched the video twice. Here's my take on it:

Kids are fucking up. If an adult comes out and says break it up, you disperse. Don't argue, don't show you're ass. Shut the fuck up, do as you're told, and leave. That's the way it was when I was a kid, that's the way it should be. If you, as a child/teen/preteen, put your hands on an adult, or otherwise threaten an adult, then it's open season on your ass. You get what you deserve. That's the way it was when I was growing up, and that's the way it should be. Kids do not have the run of the world. Every single one of those kids' parents should be arrested, including the one that got leveled.

My take.

[RBP]

If she's under 12 then why is she attacking an adult?

"Mob mentality" is not just a phrase. It's a studied phenomenon where people in mob situations will behave in a massive group-think manner that they never otherwise would - including justifying acts of violence.

Same applies to the repeated and brutal internet justice stories.

Or she's just a violent punk from the hood.