x
Breaking News
More () »

Man left unconscious after brutal hate crime in Washington

A man has life-threatening injuries after an unprovoked attack in Auburn that was racially motivated.
DaShawn Horne's uncle Rodney King and mother LaDonna Horne.

A black man is struggling for his life after being severely beaten in a racist attack earlier this month in Auburn.

DaShawn Horne, 26, was attacked on Jan. 20 with a baseball bat by Julian Pailate Tuimauga, charging documents allege. Tuimauga will be arraigned Monday.

“It’s hard, especially when you teach your children to love and be kind to everybody, no matter what their race is,” said LaDonna Horne, DaShawn Horne’s mother.

Horne had spent the night with Tuimauga’s sister and was waiting for a Lyft about 10:30 a.m. when Tuimauga came outside the home and hit Horne twice in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. Horne fell, and Tuimauga continued to beat Horne’s head and body, according to documents.

Tuimauga told police he was “in a rage” when he struck Horne. Tuimauga told police Horne’s relationship with his sister angered him, and he confronted Horne in the driveway of his and his sister’s home.

“For somebody to basically sneak attack him from behind, caught him off guard, nobody expects that,” said Rodney King, Horne’s uncle.

During the attack, the Lyft driver told police he heard Tuimauga say, “This is what happens when you bring black people around here.”

At one point, Tuimauga recorded video of the Horne and yelled, “That’s what happens to n****** out here, huh?” According to documents.

The Lyft driver called 911, and Horne was found breathing, but unresponsive.

Horne was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit with life-threatening injuries. Parts of Horne’s cranium had to be removed to relieve brain swelling, and he has not regained consciousness.

“My nephew is a fighter. He’s going to come out of this,” King said. “DaShawn is a strong man. He’s got too much life ahead of him.”

Before You Leave, Check This Out