BELLINGHAM - A 22-year-old man was arrested for an alleged hate crime against a lesbian couple early Sunday, Dec. 11, after he yelled slurs at them and smashed in the window of a victim's car, but was then pinned to the ground by one of the victims, police said.

William Adam Lane confronted the couple outside a bar early Sunday in the 200 block of Chestnut Avenue when he saw them embracing, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young.

Lane made profane, derogatory comments about the couple's sexuality, but the women "expressed no interest in having a conversation," Young said.

Lane then smashed in the rear window of the Toyota they'd arrived in, causing about $600 damage, Young said. One of the women tackled the suspect and pinned him to the ground while she waited for help from a bouncer at the nearby bar.

The women, ages 23 and 30, were not hurt, but assault charges could be brought against Lane because he acted in a threatening manner toward them, Young said.

Police said they believe Lane was intoxicated. He was booked into Whatcom County Jail on investigation of malicious harassment, a hate crime.