King County prosecutors charged a 42-year-old Kent man Monday with second-degree assault and malicious harassment after he allegedly punched and yelled racial slurs at a Hispanic man during a Sept. 22 fight outside of a Kent restaurant.
Kurt Randall Madsen is scheduled to be arraigned on both charges Oct. 10 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Madsen remained in custody Wednesday at the county jail in Seattle with bail set at $250,000.
Kent Police arrested Madsen for investigation of second-degree assault and malicious harassment (the charge for a hate crime) after responding to reports of a fight at about 12:37 a.m. Sept. 22 outside of the Applebee’s restaurant, 25442 104th Ave. S.E., on the East Hill, according to charging papers.
Officers arrived at the restaurant and found a Hispanic man surrounded by a crowd. Officers noted the man’s face was covered in blood and badly swollen.
A witness, who works at the restaurant, told police that the man had reportedly gotten into an argument with Madsen outside of the restaurant and that Madsen called the man a “wetback” and an “illegal,” according to charging papers.
The witness brought the Hispanic man (an employee of the restaurant) inside the restaurant where another verbal altercation started, including the man saying to Madsen, “I know you racist.”
The altercation turned physical outside in the restaurant parking lot when Madsen allegedly confronted the man about being an “illegal immigrant” and struck him in the face with a closed fist. Madsen continued to strike the man in the face after he had fallen to the ground.
Four people separated the two men. But the fight wasn’t over yet.
Madsen unchained his bicycle and continued to shout racial slurs at the man, who approached Madsen. Madsen reportedly swung a bicycle lock and struck the man in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Paramedics transported the man to Valley Medical Center in Renton, where the man left the hospital before he received treatment.
Madsen told police that he had been at another bar with the Hispanic man earlier that night and asked him if he had his “papers.” When that bar refused him service, Madsen said he left for another bar and later came into Applebee’s. Madsen said he walked out of the restaurant after he was refused service and told officers the Hispanic man attacked him.
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