A white man in North Carolina who was seen on video physically assaulting an 11-year-old black girl has somehow managed to avoid jail time!
It was back in January when 50-year-old David Steven Bell was recorded on video punching a young Black girl outside a mall in Asheville, North Carolina. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound man was arrested for assaulting the 11-year-old girl and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on a child under the age of 12, as well as one misdemeanor count of assault on a female.
But according to The Root, Bell, now 51, will face no jail time and instead received a 60-day suspended sentence and was placed on unsupervised probation for the next 12 months. In addition to the probation, Bell is required to complete anger management counseling and participate in a racial justice workshop within the next 90 days. He also has to pay a court fee of less than $200.
Despite the outrage from the now viral video, Bell appears to have received a slap on the wrist.
Following the incident, the mall released a statement on their official Facebook account and said,
“We are aware of the videos circulating on social media. The Asheville Police Department responded immediately and the situation was diffused. An arrest has been made. Please contact the Asheville Police Department with further questions.”
