After a dog bite, a woman retaliated with a bottle. She’s facing an assault charge
A Ferndale woman is facing an assault charge after she allegedly used a glass bottle to hit a man in the back of the head after a nearby dog bit her.
Skylar Dawn Ruiz, 22, was charged Monday, July 18, in Whatcom County Superior Court with second-degree assault (domestic violence). Ruiz was released from Whatcom County Jail the following day in lieu of $2,500 bail, according to court and jail records.
Ruiz’s arraignment is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5.
On Saturday, July 16, Bellingham police responded to The Royal Nightclub on Holly Street in downtown Bellingham for the report of a fight.
An officer located a man bleeding from the back of his head. The man told police a woman hit him in the back of the head with a bottle, court documents state.
Two witnesses told the officer they saw Ruiz hit the victim with a bottle after she was bit by a dog, records show.
Surveillance footage from outside the nightclub showed Ruiz getting bit by a leashed dog, after which the owner attempted to pull the dog away. Ruiz then raised a bottle in an attempt to hit the dog owner, but the victim grabbed her arms and tried to pull her away, court records state.
The victim let go of Ruiz and turned around, at which point Ruiz walked up behind the victim and hit him in the back of the head with a bottle, the records state. A fight broke out, during which surveillance footage showed a male punch Ruiz, court records state.
Officers located Ruiz several blocks away, and she allegedly admitted to hitting the victim with a bottle, the records state.
