Boulder – Police investigators have named a suspect in an assault on an African-American man last month.
Phillip Bernard Martinez, 38, of Lafayette is currently in the Boulder County Jail on unrelated charges. He’s now facing second degree assault and ethnic intimidation charges on the attack against Andrew Sterling, 22, on June 3rd.
Sterling and a friend were walking near 11th Street and Arapahoe Avenue around 2 a.m. when a passenger in a passing van yelled a racial slur at him. The victim said the van pulled into a parking lot and one passenger apologized for the other man’s behavior. The victim said the suspect kept yelling at him, got out of the van and then punched him in the face. Sterling’s jaw was broken.
The arrest warrant for Martinez specifies a $50,000 bond. His mug shot has not been released pending further investigation and a possible lineup.
Investigators believe they have located the van involved in the assault, and identified others in the van. They may still face charges.
“Were it not for the tips we received, I doubt we would have been able to solve this case,” Police Chief Mark Beckner in a statement. “We knew all along someone had information, it was just a matter of waiting for them to come forward.”
The suspect is not believed to have been involved in other race-related incidents in Boulder recently.
