Terry Rawls Arrested And Charged With Matthew Owens Beating.
Cops in Mobile, Ala. made their first arrest in the apparent mob beating of Matthew Owens: Terry Rawls surrendered Wednesday on assault charges.
In less than a week, the brutal attack on Owens -- which left him in critical condition -- went from being described as a hate crime connected to the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida to an ongoing feud between neighbors, WKRG reported.
*snip*
"What we know is that Mr. Owens was fussing at some kids about playing basketball in the street," said Levy. "These kids then went back and told their parents about the exchange they had with Mr. Owens."
The adults "were having a get together down the street, [and] came down to where Mr. Owens is, and there was a series of racial slurs exchanged, and there was a fight," said Levy.
He ruled out that it was a hate crime and said that the Trayvon Martin shooting wasn't a motivating factor, according to media reports.