Four suspects charged in a viral road-rage beating and robbery of a 63-year-old man in the St. Louis area were left behind bars on $250,000 cash-only bonds after a court hearing Thursday, KSDK-TV reported.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith added to the station that it should stay that way: “They are a danger to the community, all four of them.”
‘I apologize for kicking and slapping him. I was in the wrong.’
Mary Moore, Tamara Logan, Davion Alfred, and Martinez Logan each face felony charges of second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, and second-degree burglary in connection with the incident, KSDK said.
Price Smith added to the station that they could face a maximum of 29 years each in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The foursome’s court appearance came just hours after the victim was released from the hospital, where he was recovering after being stomped, punched, and robbed — all after a fender bender on a Jennings street Sept. 19, KSDK said.
Price Smith said “the individual who hit the back of their car went to check on them,” and “they brutally attacked him. This is not the way people behave in civilized society. This bond is appropriate for this charge,” the station said.
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During Thursday’s hearing, three of the suspects chose to waive their bond hearings and opted not to request a reduction. Meanwhile, Davion Alfred represented himself in court to argue for a lower bond amount, but Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Doug Dolan opposed any modification, citing public safety concerns and flight risk. The judge agreed with prosecutors and denied Alfred’s request, keeping the $250,000 cash only bond intact for all four individuals.
Following the brutal attack, the suspects stole $100 from the victim’s wallet and went through his vehicle, even taking bags full of items intended as Goodwill donations, the station said, citing court documents.
Bystanders recorded video of the attack, and the footage went viral, KSDK said.
What’s more, the county prosecutor told the station she first became aware of the incident through media reports before formal charges were submitted to her office, the station reported.
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Charging documents include confessions from the suspects, KSDK reported, adding that prosecutors said an interview with suspect Tamara Logan that KSDK broadcasted assisted with their investigation. The station said Tamara Logan admitted on camera to her role in the attack.
“I apologize for kicking and slapping him. I was in the wrong,” Logan said, according to KSDK.
Moore also told the station, “At that moment, my mindset was, ‘I’m angry, I’m upset, my kids are hurting, my vehicle is gone. I wasn’t really thinking, ‘Oh, this is an elderly man.’ My actions, they’re not OK at all. I am hurt and I am disappointed in myself.”
Price Smith told KSDK that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”
A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 21, the station noted.
According to a previous KSDK story, court records state that victim Lance Jeffries was driving his Chrysler Caravan when he rear-ended a vehicle. Police told the station Moore, Alfred, their children, and extended family members were returning home from a trip to the zoo.
Jeffries pulled over and exited his vehicle to check on the group, which had pulled in front of him, the station said.
Moore, Alfred, and Martinez Logan got out of the car, and Tamara Logan arrived at the scene a short time later, KSDK said.
Police said Alfred repeatedly punched Jeffries in the head, after which he fell to the ground, the station said, adding that police said Moore repeatedly kicked Jeffries, Tamara Logan stomped him while he was on the ground, and Martinez Logan dragged him.
Jeffries at one point blacked out, KSDK reported.
Police said Alfred took Jeffries’ keys and went through his wallet, the station noted, adding that Alfred and the others went through his car and removed trash bags filled with his Goodwill donations.
“They took my dad’s wallet. They went in his car. They robbed my dad,” Valancia Jeffries, the victim’s daughter, told KSDK. “They kicked my dad in the face. They kicked him in the chest. When I say we were so devastated and so heartbroken. We just want justice for my dad.”
Police said Jeffries’ keys, wallet, and cell phone were found on top of his car, and his wallet had been rummaged through and was missing $100, the station said, adding that Jeffries was unable to speak and was taken to the hospital. The group of attackers claimed Jeffries was drunk, police told KSDK, and made no mention of the beat-down.
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