Former Deep Ellum Bartender Austin Shuffield Indicted Over Parking Lot Assault
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Former Deep Ellum bartender Austin Shuffield was indicted on on two felony and two misdemeanor charges for the March assault of a woman in a parking lot.
The 31-year-old was indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction or retaliation and two misdemeanor charges, assault and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
The charges stem from the night Shuffield beat L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, with his closed fists and pulled out a gun.
Lawyers for Shuffield said the incident was not a hate crime and insisted that he did not make a racial slur toward Lee.
However, Lee and her attorneys said otherwise.
Lee said she had pulled into a parking lot that night and blocked Shuffield in as he was trying to leave. He got out of his truck to asked her to move but after his approach, the two began arguing.
In a cell phone video, captured by a witness across the street, Shuffield was seen holding a gun by his side during part of the argument. At some point Shuffield knocked Lee's cell phone out of her hand and she reacted by hitting him. Shuffield responded by punching Lee in the jaw and then hit her four more times in the face and head.
Lee's attorney, Lee Merritt said she also told him Shuffield called her "racial slurs" and made other "racist remarks" during the beating.
Shuffield was initially arrested and released. The case was handed over to a special prosecutor for presentation to a grand jury.
