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2 Men Charged With Beating Motorist After Crash On Detroit's East Side

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Two Detroit men have been charged in the beating of a Grosse Pointe Park man after he collided with their vehicle while driving the wrong way on the city's east side.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office authorized charges of aggravated assault and assault with intent to do great bodily harm against 33-year-old Demond Williams, who was driving, and his 20-year-old passenger, Toriano Williams, in the attack that left 34-year-old Nathaniel Szczerbinski bloodied and bruised in a hospital bed.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred around 4:15 p.m. last Saturday along Vernor Highway near Chalmers Street. Szczerbinski told police that several men beat him and called him racially derogatory names after he collided with their vehicle while driving the wrong way.

Szczerbinski, who is white, initially told officers his injuries came from the crash. At the hospital, Szczerbinski admitted that he was attacked and said he was afraid to tell officers at the scene because the black men who assaulted him were there.

"The officers, went to the hospital to check on his condition, it was then that they were told that he was assaulted," said Detroit police spokesman Adam Madera. "The officers, having the information of one of the individuals from the scene due to the accident report, then made that individual's home and made the arrest."

The prosecutor's office says it brought charges based on what could be proven in court.

Williams is also charged with driving with an expired license. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled.

TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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