An 18-year-old Centralia man has been charged for allegedly beating and threatening to kill an 11-year-old at a skate park in Centralia on Saturday.
The Centralia Police Department responded to the incident at Fuller’s Twin Cities Skate Park, located inside Rotary Riverside Park on Lowe Street, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on July 31.
Witnesses reported that the defendant, Derrick R. Hamblin, had put the victim in a chokehold and then “slammed him down like a ‘John Cena move, picked him up and slammed him,’” according to court documents.
The victim told police that Hamblin approached him at the top of the skate ramp and accused the victim of wanting to kill him, then “body slammed him (the victim) and tried to break his neck,” according to court documents. Hamblin is then accused of beating the victim and threatening to “snap his neck.”
The extent of the boy’s injuries were not detailed in court documents.
Hamblin reportedly left the skate park after someone spoke to him. Police later located Hamblin at his residence.
When asked about what happened at the skatepark, Hamblin reportedly told police he had gotten into an argument with the victim but “he did not elaborate and stared down at the ground,” according to court documents. When presented with the allegations that witnesses and the victim had made against him, Hamblin allegedly admitted to punching the victim “in the side of his body” rather than his face and to saying “that he was going to break his arm, not his neck,” according to court documents.
Police then advised Hamblin that he was under arrest. When the officer attempted to handcuff him, Hamblin is accused of yelling and attempting to pull away, then kicking over a nearby table.
The officer reported “he had to pin Hamblin against the railing to gain control of him,” according to court documents.
Hamblin suffered an injury to his stomach as a result of being pushed against the railing, according to his defense attorney, Rachael Tiller, who requested that the Lewis County Jail take photos of Hamblin's injuries to document them.
Hamblin has been charged with one count each of second-degree assault of a child, resisting arrest and harassment, threat to kill. The most serious charge, second-degree assault of a child, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.
Given that the alleged incident occurred on Hamblin’s 18th birthday and that Hamblin had no previous history of failing to appear for a court hearing, Tiller requested that Judge James Lawler grant Hamblin unsecured bail, meaning he would be released from jail on the promise that he return to court for his next scheduled hearing, or allow Hamblin to be held via electronic home monitoring.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson recommended that Lawler hold Hamblin on $10,000 bail given the severity of the alleged facts of the case, but Lawler opted to set bail at double that amount out of concern for community safety.
“The allegations are serious,” he said, “I think what’s been suggested here is really light. It’s insufficient.”
Hamblin’s next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 5.
