Oregon white supremacist pleads guilty to attacking Black DJ at Lynnwood bar in 2018
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - An Oregon man and self-proclaimed white supremacist pleaded guilty to charges in a Lynnwood assault in 2018.
Randy Smith, 42, of Corvallis, on Monday pleaded guilty to a hate crime and making false statements, connected to the assault of a Black DJ at Rec Room Bar & Grill on Dec. 8, 2018. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said Smith and his cohorts attacked the DJ specifically because of his race.
Smith admitted in 2018 that he and his associates were members of white supremacist groups.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Detectives say group that attacked a DJ in Lynnwood has ties to white supremacy group
They entered the Rec Room the night of Dec. 8, 2018, wearing clothing and patches indicating their supremacist ideology, and gave a "Nazi salute" as they entered the bar. They then attacked a Black disk jockey, who they claimed was being disrespectful to members of his group.
Prosecutors say Smith punched the DJ while his associates punched, kicked and stomped on him, calling him racial slurs. Two people in the bar tried to intervene, but Smith and his associates attacked and injured them, as well.
The victim was left with several injuries.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Four indicted on federal hate crime charges for racially motivated attack at Lynnwood bar
The hate crime charge stems from Smith's racial slurs and the nature of the attacks on the Black man. His false statements charge stems from telling FBI agents he did not remember anyone calling the DJ racial slurs, while prosecutors say he and his cohorts did so before, during and after the attack.
Smith and his cohorts were charged in an indictment on Dec. 18, 2020, for attacking the DJ, calling his racial slurs and attacking the two men who tried to stop them. Two of the others charged, Jason DeSimas and Daniel Dorson, pleaded guilty.
Smith also pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession of a firearm in Oregon in 2020. The indictment for this charge was first filed in Oregon, then transferred to the U.S. District Court in Seattle.
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Smith will be sentenced on Nov. 18—the maximum penalty for a hate crime charge is 10 years, and five years for false statements. The unlawful firearm charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.