Arrest Warrant Issued For Black Man Beaten By White Supremacists
A black man who was assaulted by white supremacists in a parking garage during violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August is facing an arrest warrant for the incident.
A Virginia magistrate issued the warrant for Deandre Harris, 20, who is now wanted on charges of unlawful wounding in connection with the Aug. 12 incident, according to WCPO-TV.
Harris was one of a dozen people injured during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, where white supremacists gathered to protest the proposed removal of statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. They were met by hundreds of counter-demonstrators.
In one of the many fights that broke out, videos and photo tweets posted by journalists showed white supremacist marchers beating Harris with signs and poles. Also that day, a car plowed into a group of the counter-protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman. A 20-year-old who was part of the white supremacist rally has been charged in that attack.
Fight broke out. Nazis beat black kid w/sticks at end. I kick one in back 2 help & he runs after me. Kid is safe but bloody #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/kr11a8zQ0K
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) August 12, 2017
Earlier in a parking garage in #Charlottesville - white supremacists beat this black kid w/poles. [Photo for by @zdroberts @NationofChange] pic.twitter.com/LLPBPjb8si
— Zach D Roberts (@zdroberts) August 12, 2017
Harris, of Suffolk, Virginia, suffered serious injuries in the beating he took, he told WRAL-TV in August.
“I got hit in the head and I had to get eight staples in my head to seal it back up. I broke my wrist right here. I busted my lip. I chipped my tooth,” Harris said. “I’m on my knees just getting beat with poles and signs and being kicked and hit. It’s crazy.”
In the days following the attack, two men were arrested and charged with malicious wounding: 18-year-old Daniel Borden, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Alex Ramos, 33, of Marrietta, Georgia, according to WVIR-TV.
Now, though, allegations by an unnamed victim have led to Harris also being charged in the incident. The Charlottesville Police Department issued a statement explaining the circumstances behind this development:
“The victim went to the Magistrate’s office, presented the facts of what occurred and attempted to obtain the warrant. The magistrate requested that a detective respond and verify these facts. A Charlottesville Police Department detective did respond, verified the facts and a warrant for Unlawful Wounding (Va Code 18.2-51) was issued.”
Harris’ lawyer, Lee Merritt, told WCPO the charge was a “clearly retaliatory” effort by white supremacists after Harris used social media to help identify suspects in the beating.
On Monday, he told the station his client would turn himself in within 24 hours.
The warrant was issued two days after white supremacists held a follow-up rally in Charlottesville to demonstrate support of Confederate statues.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
