A Black man who was riding his bicycle in his own neighborhood says he was brutally assaulted by a motorist who accused him of "making people nervous" and called him the "N-word."
The victim, Elliot Reed, told Houston's Channel 2 that he believes the incident was a hate crime. But the suspect, 25-year-old Collin Fries, has thus far only been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Reed was riding his bike Friday when he stopped for a break at a street corner a few blocks from the home where he's lived for three years in Seabrook, Texas, the station reported.
That's when Fries allegedly confronted Reed from his vehicle.
"He said, 'You need to get off of this corner because you're making everybody nervous,'" Reed told the station.
Reed responded by saying, "Are you the law, sir? What's going on?"
"You're just making people nervous," Fries allegedly said. "You need to get your n*gger ass away from here.'"
Reed began filming with his cell phone, but the video cut out when Fries knocked him off his bicycle.
"The last thing I remember is hitting my head and I went out," Reed said.
According to Reed's wife, Angie Reed, a witness said Fries struck her husband 12 times after he was unconscious. The witness called 911, and Reed was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to a larger facility in Galveston due to a severe eye injury that will require surgery.
"When I walked in the hospital and seen him, I started crying and the nurses started crying," Angie Reed said, adding that attack could have claimed her husband's life.
The Reeds are calling for Fries to be charged with a felony.
"I don't feel safe in my own neighborhood where I pay taxes and am a law-abiding citizen of Seabrook," Elliott Reed said.
According to Channel 2, "Seabrook police chief Sean Wright told KPRC2 the incident didn't appear to be a hate crime, citing previous 'conflict' between neighbors, despite the Reeds' claim that they had not met Fries."
Watch the report below.
Seabrook resident recovering after being attacked by neighbor www.youtube.com
