BELLINGHAM - A man suffered an apparent broken nose when a woman punched him in the face this weekend in downtown Bellingham, police said.

The suspect, 28-year-old Shirena C. Leclaire, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault early Saturday, Feb. 23.

She was very drunk and "words were exchanged" before she punched the victim, 49, in the face while they were in the 100 block of East Holly Street, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. Details about the argument weren't available.

The man needed immediate medical treatment at St. Joseph hospital. Two other people reported getting hit by Leclaire, but they weren't severely injured and didn't want to press charges, Young said.

Leclaire stabbed a man in the torso outside a Bellingham bar in 2005, then told him, "You're going to sit and die here," according to court records. She was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

On Saturday, police said they found a switchblade knife on her, so she faces charges of illegal possession of a dangerous weapon.

Reach Caleb Hutton at 360-715-2276 or caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com. Read his dispatcher blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/dispatcher or follow him on Twitter at @bhamcrime.