Thomas Ross, a 19-year-old freshman resident of Buckingham Hall, was arrested around 7 p.m. Sept. 30 on the charges of second degree assault and bias-motivated crime after punching and choking 18-year-old freshman Christopher Tetreault, said CUPD Commander Robert Axmacher.

Axmacher said Ross appeared in court on Wednesday at 2 p.m. This is the first assault and bias-motivated crime of the year.

According to the arrest report issued by CUPD Officer Amy Pratt, the altercation initiated when Tetreault cursed at Ross for making an antagonistic racial comment about the odor of his food while playing video games in the third floor of Buckingham’s north wing.

Tetreault said that he went next door to play video games with friends and Ross was there. Tetreault said that within three to five minutes of his arrival somebody made a comment to which in response Ross said, “I don’t eat that Asian food,” according to the arrest report.

Tetreault then cursed at Ross for his comment, and then Ross stood up from his chair, punching Tetreault in the face, as well as choking him, according to Tetrault’s account of the event in the arrest report.

“I observed that Tetreault’s nose and right cheek/eye were extremely swollen and red, and that he had blood in his left ear… Tetreault did have red marks on his throat consistent with being choked with a left hand,” Officer Pratt said in the arrest report.

Shortly after the officers arrived, Tetreault was escorted to the Boulder Community Hospital, according to the arrest report.

Casey Killingsworth, a 20-year-old freshman communications major, lives several doors down from both Ross and Tetreault.

“I wasn’t really expecting this kind of conduct from guys that I live with in my hall,” Killingsworth said. “But that’s just college for you. It is definitely a time in a young person’s life where they should be allowed some room for mistakes.”

Contact CUIndependent staff writer Nina Holtz at Nina.holtz@colorado.edu.