SEABROOK – Stitches surrounded Elliott Reed’s bloodshot left eye as he detailed his accidents from the morning he thought he would by no means have the ability to see once more.
“It’s a sew right here, sew right here,” Reed mentioned whereas pointing all through his face and recounted the moments main as much as when he mentioned a neighbor assaulted him.
Collin Fries, 25, has been charged with misdemeanor assault. He’s accused of beating Reed on Friday, Oct. 29 whereas on the intersection of Lakeside Drive and Hampton Strings Drive in Seabrook.
Though Reed’s accidents function proof of what occurred, they don’t verify why the assault occurred.
Reed mentioned he was driving his bike, one thing he does every day to regulate his diabetes, when he stopped for a break at a road nook a number of blocks from his dwelling of three years.
Reed mentioned Fries approached the cease signal on the intersection earlier than confronting him from his automotive.
“He mentioned, ‘That you must get off of this nook since you’re making everyone nervous,’” Reed mentioned.
Advert
Reed mentioned he began recording on his cellphone and after that, Fries exited his car and began strolling in direction of him.
“I requested him, ‘Are you the regulation, sir? What’s occurring?’ He mentioned, ‘You’re simply making folks nervous,’” Reed mentioned.
Reed mentioned Fries then known as him the n-word earlier than telling him he wanted to get away from the neighborhood.
Reed’s cellular phone video reveals a part of the confrontation main as much as the assault. Within the video, you possibly can hear Reed asking the person within the video why he was approaching him. The video ends when Reed mentioned he fell over his bicycle after Fries rushed him.
“The very last thing I keep in mind is hitting my head and I went out,” Reed mentioned.
Neighbors who witnessed the assault known as Seabrook police.
Reed mentioned first responders rushed him to UTMB Well being – Clear Lake Campus earlier than transferring him to the hospital’s predominant location in Galveston on account of his eye damage.
Reed’s spouse, Angie, mentioned police arrived at her door along with her husband’s bicycle following the assault.
Advert
“Once I walked within the hospital and seen him, I began crying and the nurses began crying,” Angie Reed mentioned, including her husband possible will want surgical procedure to restore injury to his left eye – an assault she mentioned might have claimed her husband’s life.
“It was the witnesses who instructed the police that he was hit about 12 instances after he was already unconscious,” she mentioned.
Whereas Fries has been charged with misdemeanor assault, the Reed’s would really like for expenses to be upgraded to a felony, not less than.
The household mentioned they didn’t know Fries earlier than the assault, and consider there’s just one cause why he attacked Reed and that’s as a result of he’s Black.
“I don’t really feel secure in my very own neighborhood the place I pay taxes and am a law-abiding citizen of Seabrook,” Elliott mentioned.
Seabrook police chief Sean Wright instructed KPRC2 the incident didn’t seem like a hate crime, citing earlier “battle” between neighbors, regardless of the Reed’s declare that that they had not met Fries.
Advert
The Harris County District Legal professional’s Workplace continues to analyze the case.
Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
