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Black man who was beaten during Charlottesville riot faces same felony charges as his attackers
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Black man who was beaten during Charlottesville riot faces same felony charges as his attackers

Deandre Harris — a black man who was beaten during the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia — is facing a felony charge after a local magistrate issued an arrest warrant Monday in connection with the incident.

What happened?

According to WVIR-TV, Harris is being charged with one count of malicious wounding for reportedly injuring an as-yet unidentified accuser.

A statement from the Charlottesville Police Department read:

On today’s date, a warrant was issued for Deandre Shakur Harris (B/M; 20 years of age; resident of Suffolk, Virginia) in relation to an assault that occurred on August 12th in the area of the East Market Street parking garage.

The victim went to the Magistrate’s office, presented the facts of what occurred and attempted to obtain the warrant. The magistrate requested that a detective respond and verify these facts. A Charlottesville Police Department detective did respond, verified the facts and a warrant for Unlawful Wounding (Va Code 18.2-51) was issued.

Harris first reached notoriety after a video emerged that featured a group of people swarming him and beating him with sticks and more.

A GoFundMe page was set up after Harris' attack went viral and collected over $160,000.

Daniel Borden, 18, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Alex Ramos, 33, of Marietta, Georgia, are facing the same charges for their assault on Harris.

What was Harris's reaction to the warrant?

Harris's attorney, S. Lee Merritt, told the Washington Post that the charge levied against his client is "clearly retaliatory."

"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.

He added that the Harris' unnamed accuser reportedly has ties to white supremacist groups.

Merritt is adamant that his client was not the antagonist in the incident and noted that Harris has plans to turn himself in to the police in the days to come.

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