SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man is facing several charges after police say he attempted to rob and assault a deaf person for two beers, and later admitted to the crime because he believed the victim was faking being deaf.
Demond Lamont Parsons, 31, was arrested Sunday.
According to court documents, officers were called to a fight in progress and were flagged down by one of the victims. That man told police that he attempted to step in when he saw someone being robbed and was punched by the suspect.
Police interviewed the victim, who spoke through an interpreter due to being deaf. According to the victim, he had gone into a gas station and bought two beers. However, when he was walking out, Parsons confronted him.
The victim was unable to speak with Parsons and was punched in the face and shoulder multiple times. That is when the interpreter and another bystander stepped in to break up the fight.
Salt Lake City police said multiple eyewitnesses shared similar stories.
Along with assaulting the victim, court documents show Parsons, who faces charges of robbery, assault, and public intoxication, also admitted to assaulting the two people who attempted to stop the robbery.
