A Michigan judge told a 19-year-old man he needed a father to 'beat the hell out of you" before sentencing him for assaulting a motorist in April.
Latrez Cummings was sentenced to six months in jail on Thursday for his role in the mob beating of a motorist who accidentally struck and wounded a child in Detroit, Reuters reported. Before sentencing, Judge James Callahan said not having a male parent was partly to blame for Cummings' actions.
"That's what you have needed in your life is a father," the judge said during sentencing in Wayne County, according to Reuters. "Someone to discipline you, someone to beat the hell out of you when you made a mistake as opposed to allowing you or encouraging you to do it to somebody else."
Cummings is one of four defendants charged as adults for assaulting Steven Utash after he accidentally struck a child on April 2. The child suffered a leg injury and was released after a day in the hospital. But Utash spent six weeks recovering in the hospital due to the assault. All defendants pleaded guilty.
Callahan also sentenced Cummings to three years' probation. His record could be expunged if he does not get into trouble by the end of his probation.
Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Lindsey said Cummings did not deserve leniency just because his father was not around.
"That is no excuse judge, that is setting a low bar." Lindsay said according to Reuters. "There are plenty of young black males who live in the city of Detroit who are raised by a single mother who do not, I repeat, do not engage in criminal activity."
One defendant was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Another was sentenced to one year in jail and four years' probation. The third defendant received three years' probation.
A 16-year-old was also charged with ethnic intimidation in relation to the assault. But prosecutors said there was no evidence proving the defendants, who are black, were partly motivated because Utash is white.
The ethnic intimidation charge was dropped and the 16-year-old pleaded guilty as a juvenile to assault, Reuters reported.
