Bellingham man suspected of hate crime after using racial slur during argument
Bellingham Police arrested a man on suspicion of a hate crime after he reportedly used racially derogatory terms during an argument.
Jayden Nicholas Janish, 20, was booked into Whatcom County Jail Wednesday, Nov. 10, on suspicion of malicious harassment (a hate crime) and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence). Jail records show Janish is being held in lieu of $3,000 bail.
Officers responded at 7:34 p.m. Tuesday to the 1400 block of Garden Street for the report of a domestic assault, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald in an email, after Janisch and the victim were involved in an argument.
During the argument, Janisch grabbed the victim’s leg while she was seated next to him in a car, causing her pain, Murphy reported. The victim was checked by a medical crew but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
The victim also reported that during the alleged assault, Janisch called her a racially derogatory term on several occasions along with other disparaging names, according to Murphy. The victim also reported that Janisch had not called her this racial slur in the past.
Janish had left the area when police arrived, but they located his car at about 11:10 p.m. and arrested him, Murphy reported.
According to FBI hate crime statistics from 2019, the most current available, there were six bias-motivated incidents in Bellingham, one of which was motivated by sexual orientation and five motivated by race, ethnicity or ancestry. Six additional bias-motivated incidents occurred in different jurisdictions in Whatcom County in 2019, according to the report.
