A black man who was beaten at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been charged with an alleged assault during that confrontation, police said Monday.
DeAndre Harris, 20, was seen bloodied in viral photos and a video after being attacked during the rally in August.
He is now charged with unlawful wounding in relation to the brawl.
Deandre Harris (center) was left bloodied after being attacked by a group of white nationalists in Charlottesville on August 12
An arrest warrant has now been put out for Harris’ arrest, after an unnamed person complained that they had been beaten by Harris in the attack which was caught on camera. Harris is seen in the navy hoodie on the ground in the footage
An unnamed ‘victim’ went to the magistrate and complained about being beaten by Harris in the brawl. The magistrate called the police department to get the facts of the case, and then the warrant was released
The Charlottesville Police Department issued a statement on Monday, saying that the unnamed victim went to the magistrate’s office and complained of being beaten by Harris in the brawl.
The magistrate’s office called the police department to confirm the facts, and they then issued the warrant.
Harris’ attorney, S. Lee Merritt, told the Washington Post that the warrant is ‘clearly retaliatory’.
He described the victim as a member of a white supremacist group and maintained that his client did not instigate the fight.
Two men – 33-year-old Alex Michael Ramos (left) and 18-year-old Daniel Borden (right) – were charged with malicious wounding in September in the attack against Harris
Merritt said it was ‘highly unusual’ for a victim to go to the magistrate instead of the police, suggesting he tried and failed to convince cops to arrest Harris first. The police don’t have sufficient probable cause to charge Harris, his lawyer said.
‘We find it highly offensive and upsetting, but what’s more jarring is that he’s been charged with the same crime as the men who attacked him,’ Merritt said.
Harris was left with a concussion, abrasions and contusions across his body, as well as a head laceration that required 10 staples, a knee injury and a fractured wrist after the clash, Merritt said.
Merritt said he is making arrangements with police for Harris to surrender.
Two men – 33-year-old Alex Michael Ramos and 18-year-old Daniel Borden – were charged with malicious wounding in September in the attack against Harris. Both are being held without bond.
Harris was left with a concussion, abrasions and contusions across his body, as well as a head laceration that required 10 staples, a knee injury and a fractured wrist after the clash, his attorney said
Harris’ attorney called the warrant ‘clearly retaliatory’ and the fact the victim went to the magistrate shows that they likely tried and failed to complain to police first. His head wound is pictured left.
Former classmates at Mason High School in Ohio said he expressed anti-Semitic views.
Ramos was identified after posting about the attack on Facebook.
In a television interview, he said that he was only acting in self defense and denied being a white supremacist.
‘I was there because, pretty much, I’m a conservative,’ he said. ‘There were some non-racist members who were going to a free speech rally.’
At a September court hearing, Ramo’s lawyer alleged that Harris may have been the one to throw the first punch.
Upman refused to identify the alleged victim or provide any other details about the alleged assault.
At the rally, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a car struck a crowd of counter protesters. James Fields Jr. has been charged with murder in Heyer’s death.
Merritt said he is making arrangements with police for Harris (left and right) to surrender