Man arrested for allegedly punching, leaving victim unconscious near Bellingham bar
A man was arrested after he allegedly punched another male and left him lying unconscious outside a Bellingham nightclub this weekend.
Drake Evan Michael was arrested Dec. 21 on suspicion of second-degree assault. Michael was expected to make his first appearance in Whatcom County Superior Court on Monday afternoon.
Minutes before 2 a.m. on Saturday, Bellingham police were called to the 200 block of East Chestnut Street for the report of an assault. When officers arrived, they found an unconscious male lying outside the nightclub with no suspect in sight, Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald.
Witnesses told officers there was an altercation outside of the bar, and security footage showed a man, later identified as Michael, “sucker-punching the victim,” Murphy said. The punch caused the victim to immediately fall to the ground, she said. The security footage then shows Michael walking away from the area, Murphy said.
The victim remained unconscious, had severe swelling on the left side of his face and was immediately taken to the hospital for his injuries, Murphy said. As of Monday, it was unknown how severe the man’s injuries were, Murphy said.
On the night of the fight, a witness had followed Michael from the bar to his car and provided police with Michael’s vehicle information. Officers found Michael in his car around 2:05 a.m. in the 100 block of Samish Way, Murphy said.
Michael allegedly admitted to punching the victim, and told officers the victim had allegedly caused a scene inside the bar, which resulted in them all getting kicked out, Murphy said. Michael allegedly told officers he punched the victim “because the victim disrespected Michael’s friends,” Murphy said.
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
