The man accused of attacking a 12-year-old boy who was dancing on a city street in Missouri over the Independence Day weekend is in police custody.
Cedric Moore, 27, turned himself in to Cape Girardeau police last week, KSDK reported.
Moore, who is black, has been charged with second-degree felony assault and first-degree child endangerment.
Police have identified the man in this video assaulting a 12-year-old. His name is Cedric Charles Moore Jr. of Cape Girardeau and he is charged with second-degree felony assault and first-degree child endangerment. They explain why a hate crime won’t be filed. pic.twitter.com/0kOOkKyh9a
— Shamarria Morrison WPSD Local 6 (@SMorrisonTV) July 6, 2020
Video showed a dark SUV pull up on at the intersection at Main Street near Independence Street, where the boy and several other people were participating in street performances on July 3.
The suspect is seen exiting the vehicle and approaching the boy, who is white, and punching him in the back of the head.
The boy, Ethan Hagler, suffered a bloody nose and a concussion, his mother told KSDK.
“I’ve never seen a tougher, braver kid, especially in that kind of a situation. You know, he just held his head back,” Stephanie Hagler said. “He was not going to let somebody see him cry. He was so strong and so brave when he had no reason to have to be so.”
Police called the attack “cowardly and disgusting.”
Moore’s bond has been set at $50,000, and hate crime charges were not filed in the case.
“The public has understandably expressed a desire to see Moore charged with a hate crime for this heinous crime but in accordance with state statutes, this charge would only apply if the assault was categorized to a lesser degree, which would not be in the best interest of seeking true justice for the victim,” a news release from the police department said.
