Lehigh Township police charged Ernest Hernandez, 52, of Lehigh Township, with simple assault and harassment after he struck a 10-year-old boy who called him a racial slur on July 7.

According to police, officers were called to the 100 block of Duke Street and spoke to the mother of the boy. She told police that her son was riding his bike with other kids at the public basketball court. Hernandez told the kids to ride on the other side of the court because he was playing with his children. The mother said that her son yelled at Hernandez.

Police spoke with the boy, who was holding an ice pack to his neck. He told police that he was riding his bike with others and that Hernandez told him to ride on the other side. The boy told police that he yelled an obscenity at Hernandez and called him a racial slur. Hernandez then became angry, police said, and struck the boy.

Police observed a red and swollen lump on the back of the boy’s neck.

Hernandez was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Robert Kemmerer and is free on $25,000 unsecured bail.