DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A victim was punched, kicked, stomped on and robbed by a man and woman who were upset that he was helping a Black man pick up trash in the roadway, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Police said the victim noticed the man picking up trash alongside Butler Boulevard Thursday morning so he stopped to help him out but then 42-year-old Carrie Tyrell and 26-year-old Jeremy Zeigler came out of a nearby unit and told him, “Stop helping that (racial slur).”
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The victim said what happened next is blurry but he remembers the two suspects hitting him and kicking him until he was on the ground, at which point they stomped on him until he lost consciousness, records show.
A witness said he heard the screaming around 5:40 a.m. and tried to call police but his phone was dead. Records show he said he saw Tyrell and Zeigler attacking the victim as he was on the ground then when they saw him watching, they ran into a unit, according to the affidavit.
As the witness went to check on the victim while his phone was charging, he saw Zeigler stand over him and say, “And I’ll rob your white (expletive)” as he took something from the victim’s wallet, records show.
Deputies said at that point Tyrell stomped on the victim two more times and said, “How do you like me now?”
According to the report, bloody footprints were located near the area where the victim was found and when a search was performed at the suspects’ unit, bloody shoes and clothes were found along with the victim’s wallet.
The man who was picking up trash said he didn’t witness the attack because he was in fear for his life and ran inside, but said that the suspects were yelling racial slurs at him and the victim because they were upset that he was helping him pick up trash, records show.
The man serves an an unofficial helper and manager within the community.
The victim was taken to a hospital to receive stitches for a large, deep cut in his forehead and other scrapes and bruises on his body, the report said.
Tyrell and Zeigler are facing charges of robbery and aggravated battery.
“While it is clear that (Tyrell) and (Zeigler) evidence prejudice against the Black male neighbor and that prejudice is their motivation for this crime, the Black male is not the victim of a crime. V-1 is a victim because he dared help a Black man,” the deputy wrote in the report to explain why a hate crime enhancement wouldn’t be added to the charges, adding that the suspects made comments indicating that the victim should help his own race.