Police in Texas filed felony charges against a black woman who was brutally beaten in a shocking attack by an armed, white bartender which was caught on camera.
Dallas cops filed a felony charge against L'Daijohnique Lee, 24, over damage done to the vehicle driven by her alleged attacker, Austin Shuffield, 30, after first charging Shuffield with only misdemeanors.
But the Dallas District Attorney immediately rejected the charges filed against Lee by the police - which had been slammed by her lawyer, S. Lee Merritt.
Video of the incident showed the man identified by police as Shuffield beating Lee and hurling racist abuse at her while holding a gun during a parking lot dispute early on the morning of March 21.
The Dallas Police Department told DailyMail.com on Wednesday, 'The decision to file charges against L’Daijohnique Lee was based on her admissio [to damaging windows on Shuffield's vehicle], evidence at the scene and statements obtained from witnesses.'
Shuffield's charges were later upgraded to include two felonies, following outrage over the handling of the incident and the revelation that he did not have the proper license to carry the weapon he was seen holding in the video.
The Dallas District Attorney has rejected charges filed by police against L'Daijohnique Lee, 24 (left), the black female victim who was seen on video being brutally attacked by a white man who police identified as Austin Shuffield, 30 (right)
'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,' Merritt tweeted on Tuesday, after he was notified of charges against Lee but before they were dropped.
Merritt added in a subsequent tweet: 'Victims of savage assaults cannot logically be held responsible for damage done to their assailants property during or immediately after their attack. Of course contexts matters and the decision to charge is a clear abuse of discretion.'
Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Lee after she allegedly caused $3,000 in damage to Shuffield's car, without the knowledge of the District Attorney's Office.
Police asked Merritt to have his client turn herself in, before the charges were reviewed by prosecutors.
Upon review, however, 'The charges were immediately rejected by the prosecutor's office,' Merritt told DailyMail.com.
'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,' Merritt tweeted on Tuesday, after he was notified of charges against Lee but before they were dropped
Merritt added in a subsequent tweet: 'Victims of savage assaults cannot logically be held responsible for damage done to their assailants property during or immediately after their attack. Of course contexts matters and the decision to charge is a clear abuse of discretion'
People were outraged at the decision to charge Lee, with one Twitter user writing, 'Our justice system is broken'
Before prosecutors had the opportunity to decline to prosecute the case, Dallas Police Department deputy chief Thomas Castro said on Tuesday, '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 [Tuesday],' referring to the filing of charges and obtaining of an arrest warrant.
Castro added: 'We encourage people their First Amendment right and afford them that right to protest. We hope that they do so peacefully. We understand
