Black Mountain man charged assault on girl in Asheville, Video of Assault

Asheville -- A Black Mountain man was arrested at the Asheville Mall, facing several charges after pushing and then punching a girl to the ground.

The incident occurred outside of the mall Saturday, January 12, 2019. 

Video was posted on Instagram Instgram Video

In the video:

David Steven Bell shoves a girl away from him, closed fist, he punches her in the face. The girl falls to the ground.  

David Steven Bell, white, according to arrest record is 6 ft 5 abd weighs 250 pounds. The girl is black and under the age of 12.

An off-duty officer arrested Bell, 51, he is charged with one count of assault on a female under 12 and two counts of assault on a female, both charges are class A! misdemeanors.

Bell was released Sunday.

Both charges are class A1 misdemeanors, the most serious level for a misdemeanor charge in North Carolina. If convicted, he could face up to 150 days in jail per charge. But with no apparent previous criminal record, it is unlikely he would be sentenced to the maximum.

Bell posted the follwing on Twitter 

*Editor's note: A criminal charge is an accusation, by law, a person accused of a crime is innocent until proven in a court of law.