A Michigan man faces five years in prison for a hate crime attack on a Black teenager.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that Lee Mouat, 43, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his hate crime involving using a bike lock in his assault.
According to documents filed in connection with this case, Mouat admitted that he confronted a group of Black teenagers, including the victim, at a state park in Monroe, Michigan. Mouat repeatedly used racial slurs and said that Black people had no right to use the public beach where the incident occurred. Mouat then struck one of the teens in the face with a bike lock, knocking out several of the victim’s teeth, lacerating his face and mouth, and fracturing his jaw.
“The defendant brutally attacked teenagers at a public beach because these young people are Black,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Hate-fueled violent crimes like this have no place in our communities. Protecting Americans from hate crimes is a top priority of the Justice Department and we will use every tool available to bring perpetrators to justice.”
The victim, 18-year-old Devin Freelon, had three teeth knocked out, fractured his jaw, and suffered a cut on his lip. After Freelon’s story surfaced, a Michigan dentist provided him with $15,000 worth of free dental care to replace the missing teeth and repair the oral damage.
“Our office is committed to protecting the rights of all citizens, and prosecuting hate crimes is a top priority,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin for the Eastern District of Michigan. “The cowardly and unprovoked attack on this young victim is terribly disturbing. Every individual citizen has the right to not live in fear of violence or attack based on the color of their skin.”