A white Asheville, North Carolina, man has been convicted of two misdemeanors for assaulting young Black girls in January.

David Steven Bell, 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting two Black girls outside of the Asheville Mall. At the time of the assault, Bell stood at 6 feet, 5 inches and weighed 250 pounds.

According to The Asheville Citizen Times, he pushed a 13-year-old during the incident and punched an 11-year-old. The majority of the incident was captured on camera and shared on social media, sparking instant outrage.

Bell reportedly claimed he was defending a woman from a "pack of youths." The judge presiding over the case sentenced him to a 60-day suspended sentence. He will also be placed on unsupervised probation for 12 months, according to WSPA.

“Because the defendant was convicted of the two class A1 misdemeanors listed above, North Carolina structured sentencing laws direct that Bell could not have been punished further for the third class A1 misdemeanor even if that matter successfully concluded in a conviction,” a Buncombe County District Attorney news release read.

In addition to probation and the suspended sentence, Bell will be required to take a racial justice workshop within the next 90 days. He must take counseling to deal with anger management and pay court fees totaling $200.

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