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Man reportedly punched woman in Ashland because she's Native American A still image from a security camera on Will Dodge Way early Saturday shows a man, with arms at his sides walking down the alley, suspected of punching a woman after she said she is Native American. Image courtesy of Ashland Police Department Wednesday Nov 30, 2016 at 4:51 PM Dec 1, 2016 at 1:19 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Ashland police are trying to find a man who is believed to have hit an Ashland woman in the face after she identified herself as Native American. It’s not yet being investigated as a hate crime, according to police, because they have not found the man and been able to ask for his side of the story. “We’re calling it an intimidation investigation because we’re concerned with his reaction to the Native American ancestry," said Deputy Chief Warren Hensman. "If we can find him we can investigate further with his statements.”  Police say the man got into a verbal argument with the 21-year-old woman, whom police wouldn’t identify,  at roughly 12:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, inside the Vinyl Club on Will Dodge Way in Ashland. “I think it was quite disturbing and shocking to this young woman and she was distraught. I feel horrible for this woman who thought she was having a nice conversation and it suddenly turned violent,” said Hensman. The club’s bouncer heard about it and tried to stop the man from running away. But apparently the suspect got into a fight with the bouncer and took off. The suspect is described as a white male with long dread locks who was wearing a green sweatshirt and tan pants. Police say he may have marks on his face from the fight with the bouncer. Police recovered still images which they’ve been distributing in hopes someone might know who the guy is. “We have no idea who he is and we have a somewhat generic description. The still photographs aren’t that great but if someone knows him they might recognize him,” said Hensman. The deputy chief describes this as an isolated incident. “I can’t recall an investigation where anything like this has happened before. We don’t see grown adult males punching grown women. To me that stands out as well.” Asked if he has seen an uptick in violence directed toward people of color since the election, as has reportedly occurred in other places, Hensman says they have received no other local reports. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports 701 incidents of hateful incidents and harassment since the election. The data comes from tracking news articles, social media and submissions to their site. The SLPC says while incidents rose within the first three days of the election, the reports are trending down now. The deputy chief also pointed out that it’s important to note that the incident occurred in the early hours at a bar where the suspect was drinking alcohol. “We see bar fights when people are drinking,” Hensman noted. “It was a club and late and alcohol was involved, so that’s part of it.” That said, he added, “Right now it all points to the fact that she was punched in the face because of her conversation about being Native American.” Police say the young woman was not seriously physically injured and was supported by others on the night of the incident. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Ashland Police Department at 541-482-5211, or call the anonymous tip line at 541-552-2333 or email [email protected]. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/@julieakins.