A Texas woman whose brutal beating by a man in a Deep Ellum parking lot two weeks ago was caught on camera is now facing possible criminal charges after cops say she damaged her alleged attacker’s pickup truck. Dallas police said Tuesday they issued an arrest warrant for L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, two weeks after she allegedly broke the back windshield of Austin Shuffield’s pickup truck with a jump box – a charger for a car battery, WFAA reported. She has not been arrested nor has she turned herself in yet. The possible charge of criminal mischief come two weeks after Shuffield was seen on video punching Lee several times in the face during an altercation in a parking lot. The shocking video quickly went viral. TEXAS MAN BRANDISHED BB GUN, HITMAN AND 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH HAMMER, POLICE SAY "We understand that some people are upset," Dallas police Deputy Chief Thomas Castro said at the news conference Tuesday. "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." He said Lee admitted to breaking the windshield, causing damage estimated at more than $3,000. PROSECUTORS DROP ALL CHARGES IN DEADLY WACO BIKER SHOOTOUT Lee’s attorney, Lee Merritt, slammed the possible 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." According to police, the entire incident began when Shuffield confronted Lee about blocking the parking lot exit with her car. A witness recorded the exchange, which showed Shuffield pull out a gun while confronting Lee before knocking her cellphone from her hand and kicking it away. Lee is seeing landing one punch on Shuffield's arm before he attacks her, delivering at least five punches that connect with the woman’s face. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shuffield, 30, was initially arrested on misdemeanor charges, but they were upgraded a week later to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon, WFAA reported. It is unclear when Lee allegedly broke the vehicle's back windshield.<doc-sep>Photo : Daniel Carde ( Dallas News ) Shoutout to the Dallas County district attorney’s office for having some common sense. Advertisement On Wednesday, The Root reported that Deep Ellum resident L’Daijohnique Lee was the victim of a brutal, racially motivated assault in the parking lot of popular High and Tight Barbershop. Despite being called a “stupid nigger” prior to having her phone violently slapped out of her hand while attempting to call 911, and being punched at least 5 times in the face by 30-year-year old former bartender Austin Shuffield, she was charged with felony criminal mischief after she retaliated by breaking the back window of Shuffield’s truck. It was a bullshit charge that most likely would’ve never been pursued if she had the complexion for protection, but thankfully it’s no longer her concern. On Wednesday, her attorney Lee Merritt announced that the felony charge had been dropped. Advertisement Dallas News reports that civil rights groups descended upon City Hall on Wednesday demanding that the charges be dropped prior to the district attorney office’s decision to do so. Advertisement Merritt expressed relief that the district attorney declined to prosecute, but said he was “ashamed of the Dallas Police Department.” “The DA did what was right, what they were supposed to do in this situation,” Merritt said. “But it’s an embarrassment that these charges were brought forward.” Advertisement Agreed. Meanwhile, her assailant Austin Shuffield is facing a pair of felonies of his own—an unlicensed weapon charge and a misdemeanor that was recently upgraded to felony assault. Advertisement Thankfully, don’t expect any of those to be dropped.<doc-sep>Screenshot : Dallas FOX 4 On March 21, a video surfaced in which bartender Austin Shuffield, 30, and L’Daijohnique Lee, 24, were involved in a heated dispute in Deep Ellum—a suburb in Dallas. Lee had been driving the wrong way, and in turn, was blocking the exit behind a barbershop and bar where Shuffield served drinks. Advertisement Shuffield got out of his truck to confront Lee, and with gun in hand, attempted to intimidate her. An argument then ensued. F eeling clearly threatened, Lee attempted to call the police. That’s when Shuffield violently slapped her phone out of her hand and she reacted by striking him. In response, he unleashed a series of vicious blows to her face and head before forcefully kicking her phone. Upon the arrival of police officers, an intoxicated Shuffield was apprehended and charged with public intoxication, assault causing bodily injury, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and interference with an emergency call. He was also fired from his job. Photo : 21 CBS DFW “It’s horrific what happened in the video itself,” Braxton Martin, the owner of High and Tight Barbershop where Shuffield worked, told ABC 7 Dallas. So with Lee’s assailant behind bars, this all too familiar story ends exactly how it’s supposed to, right? Advertisement Not exactly. Because on Tuesday, Lee learned that she too was being charged—for felony criminal mischief. Advertisement After she was viciously attacked, she retaliated by breaking out the back windshield of Shuffield’s truck with a jump box. And in Texas, criminal mischief is a state jail felony if the damage exceeds $1,500 to $30,000. “She admitted to committing that offense that night,” Deputy Chief Thomas Castro told CBS 11. Advertisement The Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office issued a statement in response, noting that they learned via media inquiries that the Dallas Police Department issued a warrant for Lee’s arrest. “The District Attorney had no prior knowledge that an arrest warrant was issued. When and if charges reach the District Attorney’s Office, we will take appropriate action,” their statement read. Advertisement “A black woman alone in a dark parking lot is stalked, harassed and assaulted by a white male,” Lee’s attorney, Lee Merritt, tweeted on Tuesday. “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.” Advertisement America, ladies and gentlemen. So what do the police have to say in defending their decision to pursue charges? “We understand that some people are upset,” Castro said in his 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.” Advertisement But the police aren’t the only ones prepared to take action, as Deep Ellum activist Dominique Alexander, founder of the social justice initiative Next Generation Action Network, took to Twitter to issue a warning. Advertisement “If this happens we will shut down Deep Ellum Arts Festival,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “#ENOUGHIsEnough” The Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which kicks off April 5, will be celebrating its 25 anniversary this year. The massive family friendly, three-day event will feature over 200 artists, over 100 bands, and draws thousands annually. Advertisement It will also be the site of relentless protests should the charges against Lee remain. “Dallas Police always finds a way to make a victim a suspect,” Dominique Alexander said. “I know that the community will be outraged, and the community will protest. The leadership in Deep Ellum has not condemned racism and bigotry and violence against black women in their corridor.” Advertisement But the police sound equally prepared for whatever goes down. “We encourage people use their First Amendment right, and afford them that right to protest,” Castro said.<doc-sep>A woman who was brutally attacked by a man wielding a gun in Texas last month has now been hit with a felony criminal mischief charge—sparking community outrage. L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, has been accused of damaging the windows of a vehicle driven by the man accused of her violent assault, 30-year-old Austin Shuffield. The beating took place on March 21 in Deep Ellum, a Dallas neighborhood, and was captured on a witness's phone. In a press conference yesterday, Dallas Police Department deputy chief Thomas Castro said Lee admitted to damaging the windows, however that action was not captured on video. The damages were estimated at just over $3,000 and the case will progress to a grand jury, he noted. The deputy chief acknowledged the decision will be seen as controversial in the community. It was condemned this week by the female victim's lawyer, S. Lee Merritt. Castro said: "We encourage people their First Amendment right and afford them that right to protest. We hope that they do so peacefully. We understand there are some people that are upset. It is not the intention of the Dallas Police Department to pick one side or the other." He added: "We simply had information that was provided to us on a criminal offense. We thoroughly investigated that offense, and we took the action that was taken today." Local media outlet WFAA reported Shuffield was initially hit with misdemeanor charges but they have since been upgraded to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon. In an arrest affidavit, deputies noted the attacker claimed he acted in self defense because he was struck first. He accused Lee of breaking his car's back window. The incident occurred at just after 4:20 a.m. Lee said she pulled over her vehicle on a one-way street to drop a friend at a hostel, a move that blocked Shuffield from exiting a parking lot. In the recording of the altercation, Shuffield was seen pulling out a gun, knocking the woman's cellphone from her hand and launching a series of punches and upper-cuts to her head. News that Lee would face charges sparked outrage in the community. "Systemic racism on full display at the Dallas police department," one commenter fumed on Facebook today. Another person added: "This decision tells black women in your community that a damaged window is valued more than their life." Referencing an event scheduled to take place Friday, local activist Dominique Alexander tweeted: "If this happens we will shut down Deep Ellum Arts Festival. #ENOUGHIsEnough." Lee's lawyer blasted the charge on his own Twitter profile. A black woman alone in a dark parking lot is stalked, harassed and assaulted by a white male. 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. #DaiLee pic.twitter.com/hMJab8UM3i — S. Lee Merritt, Esq. (@MeritLaw) April 2, 2019 He wrote: "A black woman alone in a dark parking lot is stalked, harassed and assaulted by a white male. 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. "Victims of savage assaults cannot logically be held responsible for damage done to their assailants property during or immediately after their attack. Of course context matters and the decision to charge is a clear abuse of discretion." He posted a link to a GoFundMe for Lee. In the briefing yesterday, Castro was asked by reporters to directly address the lawyer's criticism. "I understand that we are not going to make everybody happy today with this. But we have got to take into account every citizen that we serve," the deputy chief responded. He was also asked if the decision to charge Lee would lead to other victims of crime being reluctant to come forward. The Dallas police official said: "We don't want these victims to feel that they cannot have an avenue or that the police department is going to, in a sense, turn their backs on that victim. "When we have a victim and an offense but then we have a second victim in that same episode we have to take everybody's rights, we have to take all the circumstances of that incident, and at times we are going to have to, albeit a tough choice, we have to make sure that all of our citizens have been heard and that we take all their complaints seriously." More community protests are being planned, WFAA reported. Update: The photograph used in this article has been changed.<doc-sep>
Dallas police filed a charge of felony criminal mischief against L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, for damaging the man's pickup truck after she was punched. DALLAS — The woman who was recently beaten by a man in a Deep Ellum parking lot has now also been charged in the case. Dallas police charged L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, Tuesday with felony criminal mischief for damaging the man's pickup truck after she was punched, police officials confirmed in a news conference. Deputy Chief Thomas Castro said Lee admitted to causing the damage, which was estimated to be just more than $3,000. In Texas, criminal mischief is a state jail felony if the damage costs $2,500 to $30,000. Lee's attorney, Lee Merritt, posted about the potential criminal mischief 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." "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." When asked about potential protests in response to the charge against Lee – her supporters protested last week after Shuffield was only initially charged with a misdemeanor – Castro said, "We hope that they do so peacefully." "We encourage people their First Amendment right, and afford them that right to protest," Castro said. In a statement, the Dallas County district attorney's office said it found out about the arrest warrant for Lee from the media and had no prior knowledge of the charge. "When and if charges reach the District Attorney's Office, we will take appropriate action," the statement said. Shuffield, 30, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon. In the arrest affidavit for Shuffield, he said Lee broke his pickup truck's back windshield with a jump box, a charger for a car battery. The case has drawn widespread attention since a video was posted on Facebook of Lee being punched repeatedly. Investigators said it all started when Shuffield confronted Lee about blocking the parking lot exit with her car. A witness recorded video that showed the suspect pull out a gun before knocking Lee's cellphone from her hand and kicking it away. He then delivered a series of upper-cut punches and jabs to the woman’s face and head. Shuffield, according to his arrest affidavit, said he hit Lee out of self-defense because she hit him first. After the initial misdemeanor charge against Shuffield, police upgraded the charges to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, and unlawfully carrying a weapon. In Shuffield's case, Dallas police sent their filed charges to the district attorney's office, which will present the case to a grand jury. PROTESTS EXPECTED Days after Lee was punched multiple times and Shuffield was arrested, a small amount of protesters took to the streets of Deep Ellum. When WFAA reported that Lee would soon be facing a felony charge, Dominique Alexander, an activist and founder of the Next Generation Action Network, said more protests would come. On Twitter, Alexander said, "If this happens, we will shut down the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. #ENOUGHISENOUGH" The Deep Ellum Arts Festival draws thousands every year to its diverse neighborhood and closes around 8 city blocks nearby. An estimated 100 bands are scheduled to play, around 200 artists will be displaying work, and the festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. "Dallas Police always finds a way to make a victim a suspect," Dominique Alexander said. "I know that the community will be outraged, and the community will protest." "The leadership in Deep Ellum has not condemned racism and bigotry and violence against black women in their corridor." Stephen Millard, the founder of the Deep Ellum Arts Festival, said that the free event is all about inclusion, but added that it would be a shame if it were disrupted in any way. "This is a big year for us. 25 years in this iconic town has been wonderful," Millard said. "This is not a place for protest, this is a place of love.