NAACP Says BLM Hit-And-Run 'Likely A Hate Crime;' Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

The Johnson City NAACP believes an incident in which a North Carolina man drove through Black Lives Matter protesters in a crosswalk Saturday night should be treated as a hate crime.

Jared Lafer, 27, of Bakersville, was charged with aggravated assault after surrendering to police on Monday, according to the Johnson City Police Department. A protester's video shows a white Ford Expedition -- which police confirmed is Lafer's vehicle -- driving through the group of protesters in a crosswalk at the corner of Spring Street and State of Franklin Road during a Black Lives Matter protest, WCYB reports.

"Evidently some vehicles felt as if they were taking too long or blocking the crosswalk,” Johnson City Police Capt. Kevin Peters said.

In the video, the Expedition strikes a man, bumps a woman and crushes a bicycle before driving off, WCYB reports. A Johnson City police report on the incident states that an injured man, Jonathan Bowers, was taken to a hospital.

A protester, Alyjah Gilmer, told WCYB that Bowers suffered two broken legs and is now in a wheelchair.

Robin Ellis, president of the NAACP for Yancey and Mitchell Counties, wrote a letter advising the Johnson City NAACP to take action with the belief that the incident should be treated as a hate crime.

"This incident was not an accident,” she said in the letter, according to WCYB.

Ellis mentioned screenshots of Lafer's since deleted social media post in which he joked about running over protesters and referring to Black Lives Matter as a Marxist organization.

Lafer appeared in court for the first time Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty. His attorney, Mac Meade, said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with his wife and three kids after dinner.

"This is not a case about racism,” Meade said via WCYB. "He did what he felt was necessary to get out of a situation that he felt was dangerous to his family."

Court documents showed Johnson City Police officers and Mitchell County deputies both tired to contact Lafer, but he didn't answer. His attorney contacted authorities Sunday, according to WCYB.

Lafer was released from jail on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court once again on October 26, 2020.


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