Man Wields Baseball Bat, Shouts Racial Slurs At Dearborn Market: Cops

DEARBORN, MI — A man was arrested last week after intimidating two African Americans with a baseball bat at a Dearborn market, police said.

Jason Edward Lucas was charged with four counts of felonious assault, two counts of ethnic intimidation and habitual offender, officials said.

Lucas was arraigned before Judge Sam Salamey of the 19th District Court and given a $150,000 cash bond with GPS tether. His Preliminary Exam was scheduled for June 10 at 9:00 a.m.

"We will not tolerate hateful ideologies that threaten members of our community, and we will always defend those who unjustly endure racist intimidation simply for being who they are," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud said. "I commend law enforcement officials for taking immediate action to prevent this individual from committing further harm."

Two African Americans said a white man approached them at the Westborn Market, located at 21755 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn on May 13 and began shouting racial slurs at them, police said.

The man then followed the two African Americans into the market's parking lot where he tried to hit them with his car, police said.

The man then exited his car and approached the two African Americans with a baseball bat, shouting racial slurs toward them while holding the bat above his head, police said.

As the two African Americans drove away from the market, the man tried following them, police said.

After investigating surveillance footage from the market's parking lot, police determined who the man was and arrested him on May 18. A baseball bat was also recovered by officers, police said.