Michigan man says he beat Black teen with metal bike lock because of his race Minyvonne Burke
A white Michigan man who pleaded guilty to beating a Black teenager with a metal bike lock said he attacked the teen because of his race.
Lee James Mouat, 43, was charged with a federal hate crime in the June 6, 2020, attack in the parking lot of Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan. The victim, identified by local media as Devin Freelon Jr., suffered facial injuries and several of his teeth were knocked out when Mouat struck him with the lock.
Mouat, who pleaded guilty Tuesday, confronted the victim and two of his friends at the park after complaining about loud music. The plea agreement states that Mouat made a comment about the group s ghetto music, yelled Black lives don t matter, called the teens the N-word and said Black people did not belong at the Sterling State Park beach.