An apology didn’t help several suspects caught on camera kicking, punching and dragging a 63-year-old Missouri Black man after a minor traffic collision.
Lance Jeffries, a retired truck driver, rear-ended another vehicle Saturday in Jennings, according to St. Louis County police. Jeffries reportedly got out of his vehicle to check on the people involved in the crash when several people from the other vehicle confronted him.
His daughter, Valancia Jeffries, said the suspects attacked her father after he stepped out of his car.
“From what we know, they were angry because my dad hit the back of their car,” Valancia told KMOV. “When he got out of the car to check on the other party, they got out of the car angry and yelling at my dad, and they jumped on my dad.”
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Davion Alfred, 30; Martinez Logan, 25; Tamara Logan, 48; and Mary Moore, 26, with third-degree assault, second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary charges on Thursday.
According to probable cause statements, Alfred first punched the victim, causing him to fall. Alfred and the three others then “repeatedly punched, kicked, stomped, and dragged” Jeffries.
“The most shocking part of it was when my daddy got kicked in the chest,” Valancia said. “The girl kicked my daddy in the chest, and the guy dragged my daddy like he was a piece of lint out of the streets. Like it was nothing.”
Investigators say the victim blacked out as the four suspects took his car keys and wallet. They then searched his car and removed trash bags filled with donations for Goodwill. Authorities later found the victim’s wallet inside the vehicle with $100 missing..
The attack left Jeffries with serious injuries and unable to give police a statement at the scene. Officers transported him to an area hospital, where he remains as he receives treatment.
His daughter described the condition she found her father in after the attack.
“His eyes are swollen shut. He has neck injuries, also. His jaw is swollen,” Valancia said. She added that he suffered blood clots in his leg and stomach and needs surgery.
The family said they did not immediately realize how badly Jeffries had been hurt. Valancia said police did not notify his relatives that he had been hospitalized until later Saturday night. They later saw the video and learned what had happened.
The suspects contacted local media to apologize for the attack before authorities arrested them.
Moore told 5 On Your Side that she was angry after the crash because she believed her children had been endangered. She acknowledged that her actions were wrong.
“At that moment, my mindset was, ‘I’m angry, I’m upset, my kids are hurting, my vehicle is gone,’” Moore said. “I wasn’t really thinking, ‘Oh, this is an elderly man.’”
Moore said she viewed Jeffries as someone who had put her children in danger rather than as a 63-year-old man. She later acknowledged that distinction did not excuse what happened.
“I did not see a 63-year-old man, and that was my fault,” Moore said. “I saw someone who endangered my kids, and that was all I saw.”
Alfred, the father of Moore’s children, also spoke about the confrontation. Alfred said those involved were trying to prevent Jeffries from leaving the scene after the collision.
“We were trying to keep him from fleeing the scene,” Alfred said.
But when asked whether the violence was justified, Alfred rejected that idea.
“Not at all. None of that was justified,” he said.
Tamara Logan also apologized for her actions while criticizing threats and harassment directed at her family after the video spread online.
“I apologize for kicking and slapping him. I was in the wrong,” Logan said. “But all the threats, the harassment, and the bounty online are uncalled for.”
Meanwhile, Jeffries’ family is focused on his recovery and the financial strain caused by his hospitalization. Relatives established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his medical expenses as he prepares for surgery and continues recovering from his injuries.
The fundraiser had collected about $7,500 as of Sept. 25.
For Jeffries’ family, the incident has transformed what began as a routine traffic accident into a medical crisis.
“We’re heartbroken. We’re devastated. We want justice. We need justice today,” Valancia said.
Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack, including the actions of those captured on video.
