Bellingham man allegedly assaults stranger in a store a day before grabbing a nurse
One day before a Bellingham man reportedly grabbed the breast of a St. Joseph hospital nurse who was caring for him, the man is suspected of punching another woman in the head and giving her a concussion.
Bellingham Police Department booked Michael Jovanny Yrizarris, 38, into Whatcom County Jail Thursday, Oct. 14, on suspicion of second-degree assault. Jail records show Yrizarris is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
It is the third time Yrizarris was in jail in 11 days.
He was booked Oct. 4 on suspicion of third-degree assault (with sexual motivation ) of a healthcare worker. Jail records show he was released Oct. 8 on $5,000 bail.
Officers responded at 3:11 p.m. Oct. 3 to the 4100 block of Cordata Parkway for the report of an assault, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email Saturday, Oct. 16.
Police learned that the victim was in an area business when Yrizarris walked up to her and punched her in the face several times and ran off, Murphy reported. The victim reported that she did not know Yrizarris or why he had attacked.
Yrizarris was found several blocks away and initially arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault, according to Murphy. Jail records show he was released later that day on $1,000 bail.
But the victim, who did not need immediate medical care after the attack, had her symptoms get worse over the next few days, Murphy reported. She was eventually diagnosed with a concussion and had swelling due to the alleged assault.
Surveillance video at the scene showed that Yrizarris walked into the store, walk up to the victim, who was waiting for an order, and punch her on the left side of her face, knocking her against the wall, according to Murphy. Yrizarris then reportedly threw a flurry of punches, using both hands, to deliver approximately 11 punches to the victim’s head in five seconds.
Once the severity of the victim’s injuries was known, Yrizarris was arrested Oct. 14 and booked into jail.
Approximately 30 hours after the first assault, at about 9 p.m. Oct. 4, officers were called to St. Joseph’s hospital for the report of an assault on a nurse, Whatcom County Superior Court documents state.
The victim in that incident reported that she was caring for Yrizarris, preparing him to be discharged from the hospital, when he reached over and grabbed her breast with his hand, documents state.
The victim jumped back and yelled that Yrizarris’ actions were not OK, documents state.
Yrizarris admitted to police that he had committed the assault, according to documents, adding that he did not know why he did it.
The two alleged incidents earlier this month were not the first times Yrizarris has been accused of assaulting a stranger in a public area.
Court records show Yrizarris also was convicted of malicious harassment — a hate crime — for a 2018 incident in which he jumped over the counter at the Bellingham Jack in the Box and started punching an employee in the head. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison for that conviction on April 5, 2019, but had that shortened to 43 months in September, court records show.
Records show that Yrizarris has additional previous convictions for assault, robbery, burglary, theft and bail jumping.
