St. Clair Shores man accused of trying to run over Kamala Harris volunteers

MOUNT CLEMENS, MI (FOX 2) – The 55-year-old man is accused of attempting to attack volunteers who were distributing the president’s campaign materials and making threats based on sexual orientation.

The Macomb County District Attorney’s Office charged Jason Lynch Lafond with three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, a four-year felony, and three counts of ethnic intimidation, a two-year felony.

Investigators say LaFond went to a tent in the VFW parking lot on Jefferson Avenue looking for campaign materials about former President Donald Trump on Oct. 12.

The volunteer told him it was a campaign day for Vice President Kamala Harris. This allegedly led to Lafond yelling derogatory slurs, including sexual slurs. He also said that when Trump wins, he will “destroy” people like them.

Lafon returned to his car and sped toward the volunteers, who had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. Lafon then fled the scene of the crime.

The St. Clair Shores Police Department identified the man after an investigation.

“This alleged attack was not just an attack on the victims, it was an attack on the victims’ rights to express themselves freely and safely, and it has affected our entire society,” Attorney Pete Lucido said in a release. “Acts of violence, attacks or harassment based on someone’s identity have no place here. It threatens our democracy and the exercise of free speech in fair and secure elections.”

Lafond was granted a $50,000 personal bond Thursday in St. Clair Shores District Court.

Lafond was ordered to have no contact with any victims or witnesses and to wear a GPS tag. Its next meeting is scheduled for November 8.

Lucido’s office said that proving a charge of ethnic intimidation depends on three key elements:

• The defendant must either threaten the victim with physical harm or threaten to harm the victim’s property in a manner that appears plausible.
• There should not be any reasonable reason for the defendant’s actions. Finally, prosecutors must prove that the defendant acted with bias by targeting the victim specifically because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
• A charge of assault may include proof that the defendant committed acts that would cause a reasonable person to fear immediate harm.