ASHEVILLE - The attorney for a 51-year-old man charged with allegedly assaulting three girls at the Asheville Mall has issued the first statement on behalf of his client since video of the weekend incident set off a social media firestorm.

Asheville attorney Andy Banzhoff defended David Steven Bell, saying he was trying to help a woman who was being harassed by "a large pack of youths" at the mall Saturday.

Banzhoff, in the statement issued late Monday, said Bell is undergoing long-term treatment for a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Bell felt threatened and regretted using physical force, he said.

In widely circulated video, Bell can be seen punching an 11-year-old girl in the face knocking her to the ground. None of the other alleged assaults are depicted in the video that's been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media and drawn wide condemnation and debate.

Bell, who is described in police records as 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, is facing a charge of assault on a child under 12 and two charges of assault on a female, all misdemeanors. His court date is Feb. 5.

"His actions were not motivated by any animus towards the persons in that group. Mr. Bell's belief is that all persons are created equal and that we are all children of God," the statement said.

On Tuesday, Banzhoff declined to say if he thought Bell's brain injury and PTSD affected his decision to punch the girl.

"All I am doing at this stage is laying out the facts as we reasonably believe them to be," he said.

Arguments about how the facts applied to the case would be resolved in court, he said.

Bell saw 'youths harassing a woman'

Representatives of the 13-year-old girls did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. The Citizen Times has been unable to reach representatives of the 11-year-old girl.

Banzhoff said Bell, who was at the mall with his family, was leaving a bookstore when "he observed a large pack of youths harassing a woman." The lawyer did not say in what manner the woman was being harassed.

Bell asked bookstore staff to call security and told the youths to "break it up," Banzhoff said.

He said Bell escorted the woman through a mall exit and the youths followed, encircling him and blocking his ability to leave. Some taunted him and yelled threatening remarks, the attorney said.

Actions at mall were 'an effort to defend himself'

A female youth shoved Bell in the back, Banzhoff said, and another "stepped towards Bell in an aggressive manner." He pushed her away and she lost her balance and fell backward, the lawyer said.

"She then got to her feet and aggressively charged in the direction of Mr. Bell. As she entered Mr. Bell’s personal space, he struck her with his closed fist."

Banzhoff said the group dispersed and Bell flagged down an Asheville Police Department officer and told him what happened.

"His actions were in an effort to defend himself against the perceived threat from a large pack of youth who had trapped and surrounded him," Banzhoff said.

He said Bell and his family were praying for healing for "those impacted by this unfortunate incident."

Police said Bell was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. at the 3 S. Tunnel Road shopping complex on the single charge of assault on child under 12 in connection to the thrown punch.

Two 13-year-old girls later told the Buncombe County Magistrate's Office that in the same encounter Bell pushed them, resulting in the assault on a female charges.

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A posted video with 40 seconds of the interaction has been widely commented on, including by a nationally known activist, a popular comedian and actress Kathy Griffin.

The footage has drawn degrees of outrage against Bell for assaulting the much smaller victim, who has not been publicly identified. Others have come to Bell's defense on social media for the perception he was responding to a threat after having been pushed himself, shown early in the video.

Mall officials said they're reviewing the incident to see if changes need to be made in the handling of such situations.