As the group left, Moore said, he went to the restroom while his companions went to their vehicles. When he went into the parking lot, Moore said, he was taunted by members of a group of 15 to 20 blacks who called him names such as “tree honky” and “cracker”.
Derek Lee Williams, Justin Alexander, Kino Jones
Six men have been charged with beating a North Carolina man and police say they are referring the case to federal authorities to see if the men might be charged with hate crimes.Seneca Police Chief John Covington said the investigation indicated that race was a factor in the attack, so the case file would be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The men who have been charged are black. The man who was beaten is white.
The six men are charged with assault and battery by mob. They are Teryn L. Robinson, 18, Tray Devon Holland, 19, Justin Dimon Alexander, 20, Derick Lee Williams, 22, Kino Martinez Jones, 25, and Montrez Obrian Jones, 22.
Seneca police, along with Oconee County deputies and agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, arrested the six, all of whom are from the Seneca area, on Wednesday.
All were still being held late Wednesday in the Oconee County detention center.
The arrests followed an investigation that began March 17, when Seneca police officers arrived about 12:50 a.m. at the parking lot of Applebee’s at 696 By Pass 123 in response to reports of a man being beaten.
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