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Deandre Harris not guilty of assaulting white supremacists who attacked him in Charlottesville

Posted at 2:13 PM, Mar 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-16 14:13:39-04

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A man charged with assault following the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville August 12 was found not guilty Friday in Charlottesville General District Court, WCAV reported.

Deandre Harris, who is black, had previously been charged for his role in a fight that took place by a parking garage near the police station on E. Market Street.

Harold Crews, the person who accused Harris of assault, had gone to the magistrate to get warrant. The warrant, a felony charge, required there be a police investigation.

Photos and video from that day showed Harris being beaten by a group of white supremacists who had taken part in the Charlottesville rally.

“I got eight staples in my head, I got a cut [above my eyebrow], a busted lip, I broke my wrist, a chipped tooth,” he said.

The men arrested for attacking Harris are scheduled to go on trial later this year.

“DeAndre Harris’ acquittal today shows he never should have been charged with a crime in the first place,” the group Black Lives Matter – Charlottesville said in a statement. “We were further outraged when DeAndre was charged with a crime based on the testimony of the same white supremacists who attacked him.”

This is a developing story.

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