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A man is going to prison for five years for smashing a Black teen's face with a bike chain at a beach, allegedly telling the boy "Black lives don't matter," before knocking his teeth out — a hate crime, federal officials said.
Lee Mouat, 43, of Newport, Michigan, admitted to his actions in March, pleading guilty to willfully causing bodily injury to an 18-year-old because of the teen's race.
The incident happened in June 2020 at Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan, where Mouat confronted a group of Black teenagers, including the victim, 18-year-old Devin Freelon Jr.
It was about 7:45 p.m. on June 6 when Freelon heard an unfamiliar man yelling in the beach parking lot.