WTH? Dallas police charge Black woman—the victim of racist attack

L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, was hit with a criminal mischief charge Thursday afternoon.

Apr 2, 2019

Days after Dallas police upgraded the charges against a Deep Ellum bartender who was caught on camera viciously assaulting a Black woman, investigators have now charged the victim with a felony.

L’Daijohnique Lee, 24, was hit with a criminal mischief charge Thursday afternoon after police said she knocked out a window of Austin Shuffield’s pickup truck after their altercation in the early morning of March 21, officials confirmed at a news conference.

Deputy Chief Thomas Castro said Lee admitted to breaking the windshield with a jump box, a charger for a car battery, causing damage estimated to be over $3,000, according to the Dallas Observer. Criminal mischief in the state is considered a felony if the damage exceeds $2,500.

“We understand that some people are upset,” Castro said at the news conference. “It’s not the intention of the Dallas Police Department to pick one side or the other. We simply had information that was provided to us on a criminal offense. We thoroughly investigated that offense. We took the action that was taken today.”

Lee’s attorney, Lee Merritt, addressed the charge on Twitter: “A black woman alone in a dark parking lot is stalked, harassed and assaulted by a white male,” Merritt posted. “He brandishes a gun, knocks away her phone when she tries to call for help—then beats her mercilessly with blows to the head. DPD just found a way to charge HER with a felony.”

Lee and Shuffield exchanged heated words after she blocked his truck in a lot near the bar where he worked at. In a video of the incident, Shuffield brandished a pistol and when Lee tried to call 911, he slapped the phone away and punched her five times.

Officers initially charged Shuffield with interfering with an emergency call and misdemeanor assault. But after protests and cries of racism, police upgraded his charges to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

When asked about potential protests in response to the charge against Lee, Castro said he hopes her supporters will “do so peacefully.”

“We encourage people their First Amendment right, and afford them that right to protest,” he added.

In a statement, the Dallas County district attorney’s office noted that they learned about Lee’s arrest warrant from the media and had no knowledge of the felony charge.

“When and if charges reach the District Attorney’s Office, we will take appropriate action,” the statement said.