Man Pleads Guilty To Assault In Brainerd Bar Incident
BRAINERD, Minn. (WCCO) – A man accused of assaulting a man at a Brainerd bar back in February because he is black pleaded guilty to first-degree assault on Tuesday in Crow Wing County Court.
Lucas Eastwood, 27, pleaded guilty to one felony count of first-degree assault. In exchange, charges for first-degree kidnapping, third-degree assault and assault motivated by racial bias were dismissed, according to court documents.
Eastwood and other man, 29-year-old Travis Campbell, were involved in a fight at Yesterday's Gone Bar in Brainerd. According to a criminal complaint, Eastwood said he wanted to "beat up the black guy," who was later identified as 53-year-old Willie Navy.
After the incident, police told Navy he was jumped at the bar because he is black. Staff at the bar also knew he was being targeted, according to the complaint.
Eastwood and Campbell were accused of punching Navy in the face and kicking him in the head. Navy lost vision in one eye as a result of the incident.
A sentencing date is pending for Eastwood. The presumptive sentence according to state guidelines is 86 months in prison, or more than seven years.
