Racial Slur Sparks Fight In Downtown Bellevue

BELLEVUE, WA - A racial slur sparked a fistfight between two men in downtown Bellevue recently, according to police. No one was arrested, however, because the victim didn't want to pursue charges.

According to a police report, officer Herslyn Romero was driving an unmarked police car along Bellevue Way around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 30 when he noticed two men fighting in front of the Container Store. When Romero pulled up to the fight one of the men, Leonard Howze, 21, of Everett, started walking away. The other man, Avery J. Mortenson, 21, of Kenmore, was on the ground with a bloody nose.

Howze, who is black, told Romero that Mortenson had called him the N-word for no reason.

"I didn't do nothing. Guy called me a [N-word], swung on me first, so I knocked him out," Howze said, according to the police report.

Mortenson denied calling Howze the slur. But a witness nearby told Romero he heard the whole exchange.

"[The witness] did not know Leonard or Avery. [He] said that he was walking outside to get an Uber when in front of him he saw Avery call Leonard a [N-word]. [He] said Avery then attempted to punch Leonard. [He] said that Leonard dodged the strike and punched Avery a few times," the police report describes.

Romero was ready to arrest Mortenson for malicious harassment, the state's hate-crime law. But Howze declined to press charges, telling the officer he just wanted to go home.

Both men were let free. Patch reached out to both Howze and Mortenson for comment. We will update this story if we hear back.

Image courtesy Bellevue police