Black Food Truck Owner Savagely Bashed by Man Yelling N-Word, Lawyer Says
Warning: Graphic images below
A Black food truck owner in Oregon who says he suffered “severe” injuries in a brutal assault by an attacker screaming the N-word has hired a lawyer to probe the “sufficiency of the government’s response” after he was allegedly left to take himself to hospital.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, family attorney Alicia LeDuc Montgomery said Darell Preston was on the phone with his wife and standing at LoRell’s Chicken Shack, his food truck in Portland, on June 15 when he was viciously attacked from behind, “unprovoked,” and without warning by a white man he didn’t recognize.
Montgomery said the attacker continued to throw massive blows and yell racial slurs at Preston.
“The Preston family is eager to pursue justice in this matter and is willing to assist in bringing those responsible to account,” Montgomery said in the statement.
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In video footage Montgomery provided to The Daily Beast that captured the incident from across the street, a white man in a black jacket is seen beating and stomping a Black man to the ground. Cars pass by, honking their horns as the attack ensues on the sidewalk. Once the man in the jacket finishes, he walks away with his hands in his pockets, as if nothing happened.
“Mr. Preston suffered severe facial injuries,” Montgomery said. “Portland police arrived on scene but to the family’s knowledge, did not call an ambulance or provide medical care to Mr. Preston. Mr. Preston was driven to the hospital by [his wife] Mrs. Preston with his face wrapped in a shirt.”
However, a police spokesperson told Oregon Live that when cops arrived on scene, they were told by first responders that the victim and suspect had left the scene. The spokesperson said officers found Preston in his food cart nearby but it took “several minutes to convince” him to come out. After providing minimal details, Preston then “locked himself in the cart” of the food truck and refused to say more, police said.
Montgomery said Preston was too scared to talk about it.
Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Kevin Allen told The Daily Beast in a statement Tuesday that a responding officer “immediately” offered to call for medical care, but Preston—who “appeared to be conscious, oriented, and able to make his own health care decisions”— declined.
“It would not have been appropriate for the officer to override the patient’s wishes,” Allen said.
While police initially told Oregon Live they weren’t investigating the attack as a hate crime because Preston wouldn’t give any details about the attack, that changed after detectives spoke with his family. On Tuesday, Allen told The Daily Beast the case is being investigated as a bias crime and no arrests have been made yet.
“Any arrest must be based on probable cause and will stand up to scrutiny in any future criminal court proceeding,” Allen said. “A misstep now could prevent justice from being served later, and we have dedicated and professional detectives working hard to do things right.”
Allen declined to release any other information as it could “compromise” the case.
On June 17, Preston’s brother-in-law, Marc McDonald, created a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for LoRell’s Chicken Shack while Preston has been unable to work. The page claims Preston had a “broken nose, fractured face, and lacerations to his eyes and mouth.”
“Due to this attack, [Preston] will be unable to work his cart causing an obvious financial burden on himself and our family,” McDonald said. “All donations will be directly deposited into LoRell’s business account and used to cover Darell’s medical costs, legal representation, and other business costs associated with him being unable to work his food cart.”
“We are deeply disturbed by this assault, which has left the community shaken and outraged,” Montgomery told The Daily Beast.
“Hate crimes and violence of any kind create fear, anxiety, and a sense of vulnerability among community members,” Montgomery added. “Our thoughts are with the Preston family during this challenging time, and we stand firmly against any form of hatred, discrimination, and violence.”
The Preston family plans to reopen LoRell’s Chicken Shack later this week.
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