Kent man left unconscious after brutal beating in Auburn

Kent man left unconscious after brutal beating in Auburn

Authorites: African American was the target of hate crime attack

An African-American man from Kent who was a victim of what his family, Auburn Police and King County prosecutors have called a hate crime attack, continues to fight for his life with a traumatic brain injury.

Prosecutors have charged Julian Tuimauga, 18, of Auburn, for the brutal assault on 26-year-old DaShawn Horne on Jan. 20 outside of a house in Auburn.

The suspect faces charges for first-degree assault and malicious harassment, the state’s designation for hate crimes. Tuimauga, who is listed as Asian in court documents, remains in the county jail at the Maleng Regional Justice Center (RJC) in Kent on $500,000 bail.

Tuimauga will be arraigned at 9 a.m. Monday in Courtroom GA in King County Superior Court at the RJC.

Horne remains in critical condition, with severe head and jaw injuries, at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Doctors removed parts of his cranium to relieve swelling to his brain, charging documents said.

According to the police report and charging papers, Tuimauga is accused of attacking Horne with an aluminum baseball bat after becoming enraged when he learned his sister had spent the night with Horne at her Auburn residence in the 600 block of 27th Street Southeast. The siblings live at the home.

Tuimauga, police said, was “in a rage” when he struck Horne.

According to charging papers and the police report:

On the morning of Jan. 20, the woman called a Lyft car to drive Horne home. When the driver backed his car into the driveway, Tuimauga had come out of the house to ask who he was there to pick up, and the driver told him it was his sister who requested the ride.

The driver then saw Tuimauga walk to the corner of the fenced year, and shortly thereafter, saw Horne walk along the side of the house toward the driveway, according to the reports.

The driver called 911 shortly before 10:30 a.m. after the two men began to argue by the driveway. The driver then saw the suspect strike the victim two times in the head, knocking him to the ground, according to charging papers.

The driver heard Tuimauga say, “This is what happens when you bring black people around here,” charging papers said. The witness said the suspect struck Horne three more times to the body while he was lying on the ground, the reports said.

Horne was unconscious, bleeding as he lay on a rockery in the front yard when Tuimauga proceeded to take out his cellphone to take video of the victim while yelling racial slurs at him, charging documents said.

According to the reports, Tuimauga repeatedly used the N-word.

When police arrived at the scene they found Horne beaten and on the ground, unresponsive but breathing.

Police came inside the home to arrest Tuimauga.

Surveillance video recovered from a neighbor’s house that overlooked Tuimauga’s driveway shows Tuimauga, bat in hand, striking Horne twice while he is unconscious on the ground, once in the torso and another directly in the head, the police report said.

According to the Seattle Times, Horne is a mail handler for the U.S. Postal Service. He played football at Federal Way High School and studied criminal justice at Eastern Washington University in Cheney for three years before dropping out when his former girlfriend got pregnant.

The Horne family has set up an up a GoFundMe page to help cover the victim’s medical bills, lost wages and child support for his 16-month-old son.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

File photo
Man sentenced in Federal Way rock throwing death

Judi Kilma retrieved a fist-sized rock after a man punctured one of the tires on Kilma’s bicycle.

t
Kent Police Blotter: March 11-25

Incidents include commercial burglary, DUI arrest

Flowers for slain trooper Chris Gadd begin to collect outside Washington State Patrol District 7 Headquarters on Saturday, March 2 in Marysville. (Ryan Berry / Sound Publishing)
Lynnwood man pleads not guilty in crash that killed WSP trooper

Raul Benitez Santana arraigned Tuesday on vehicular homicide charge in Trooper Chris Gadd’s death.

Captain Ron Mead and Corporal Alexis Robinson embrace during a memorial for Washington State Patrol trooper Chris Gadd on Tuesday, March 12 at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / Sound Publishing)
Man was reportedly driving 112 mph before crashing into Trooper Gadd

Charging documents reveal details of March 2 crash that killed Kentlake High graduate

t
Kent apartment shooting injures man, woman on East Hill

Incident began Sunday, March 24 as domestic dispute; woman’s brother gets involved and shots are fired

Chase Wilcoxson, father to Matilda, 13, and Eloise,12, places a family photo at the roadside memorial dedicated to his daughters, Buster Brown, 12, and Andrea Hudson, 38. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
Families forgive Kent suspect involved in fatal crash near Renton

High-speed collision March 19 killed four; families of victims call to make the roads safer

t
Kent mayor plans to keep fighting for sales tax to hire more police

State of the City address also touches on new restaurants, roundabouts and walking paths

t
Crews to begin work on $13.8 million final phase of 76th Avenue upgrade

Street to be raised above Mill Creek floodplain, paved with concrete; bridges to replace culverts

t
Smoke alarms help Kent family of five escape house fire

Firefighters rescue one male from roof in March 19 fire on East Hill

File photo
Victims identified in ‘mass casualty’ collision that killed four near Renton | Update

Detectives say the collision was caused by an 18-year-old driver.

t
Semi-truck rollover blocks Green River Bridge in Auburn

Traffic had to be diverted from State Route 18; heavy impact on Kent streets

t
Seattle church’s donation to cover asylum seekers bill at Kent hotel

Group to remain at Kent Quality Inn for two more weeks