Roy Lamar Lashley, 55, admitted he and his brother, Robert Dewayne Lashley, 52, attacked and beat a Black man after following him out of a store. Lashley said he attacked the man with an axe handle, authorities said.
A Florida man who pleaded guilty on Monday to a federal hate crime carried out against a Black shopper outside of a Family Dollar told deputies arresting him “If we don’t do anything about them, they will take over the world,” according to court documents.
Roy Lamar Lashley, 55, admitted he and his brother, Robert Dewayne Lashley, 52, attacked and beat a Black man identified only as D.B. with an axe handle on Nov. 17, 2021,
According to the factual basis for the plea, the defendant used a racial slur to point out the victim at a cash register inside the Family Dollar store to his brother.
Lashley said that was a true account of his actions.
“There, defendant Roy Lashley asked the clerk if she saw D.B. push him as he walked through the door. The clerk replied ‘no,’ prompting defendant Roy Lashley to again say that D.B. pushed him, again using racial slurs and saying the victim needed to be taught a lesson,” according to the plea agreement, first obtained by Law and Crime.
“Surveillance video does not show D.B. push or otherwise contact defendant Roy Lashley as they passed one another. The clerk and store manager admonished co-defendants Robert and Roy Lashley for using racial slurs inside the store,” the factual basis of the plea agreement said.
Roy Lashley admitted that he and his brother followed the victim and attacked him. Roy Lashley said he attacked the man with an axe handle and his brother hit him with his fists, authorities said.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Roy Lashley followed the victim into the parking lot and got an axe handle from the bed of his truck before striking the victim multiple times with it.
The plea agreement stated that in response, D.B. raised his arms to block the blows and punched back in self-defense.
Both Lashley siblings directed racial slurs towards the victim before, during and after the attack, according to news reports. The victim sustained painful injuries to his face and legs, including a laceration to the inside of his mouth.
Roy Lashley admitted that after being arrested, he told the deputies, “If we don’t do anything about them, they will take over the world,” and continued to use racial slurs on the scene. He also told deputies they were only arresting him because he was white.
According to the Department of Justice, Roy Lashley admitted to a violation of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and pleaded guilty on Oct. 17.
Robert Lashley pleaded guilty on Oct. 4 to his role in the hate crime. Sentencing is set for Jan. 19, 2023.
“The defendant in this case deliberately and brutally attacked the victim because of his race,” Middle District of Florida U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg said in a statement. “There is no place in our country for this type of abhorrent behavior, and we will prosecute those who commit these heinous crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”
