Fed Ex driver in Portage attacked, called racial slurs
PORTAGE, Mich. — A Portage man could face criminal charges after he allegedly used racial slurs and attacked a FedEx driver while delivering packages.
The driver, Tirrell Lipsey, shared video from his delivery truck that showed a man attempt to punch Lipsey in the face while repeatedly calling him the N-word.
The incident took place on the 8200 block of Bruning Street Saturday afternoon on Lipsey's normal route, he said.
The suspect was on methamphetamine and taken to the hospital for a mental health condition the day of the incident, police said.
The Portage Department of Public Safety said they would plan to press charges, according to detectives.
No arrests have been made and the investigation remains on-going.
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Lipsey and his family are calling for the suspect to be charged and off the streets.
"I was just shocked. To me, it didn't make any sense," Lipsey said.
Lipsey, a 23 year old marine reservist, first encountered the man outside his delivery truck. The man is seen walking up to the FedEx truck and said something to Lipsey before he threw a punch at Lipsey.
The man called Lipsey the N-word at least twice and muttered other indistinguishable phrases to Lipsey.
"He kept saying stuff about his dog. He was going to have a dog attack me, it was very weird. It got to the point where he was saying stuff about the devil being in the boxes," Lipsey said.
The man then stole a package from a nearby home which was caught on a doorbell security camera. Lipsey said.
In the ten minutes it took for police to arrive, the suspect walked away with someone's motorcycle and asked if Lipsey knew how to start it, Lipsey said.
The suspect was also captured trying to enter into a second neighbor's home, according to a dashcam video sent to News Channel 3.
"He went from being super-aggressive, from telling me he likes and sat in my front seat and said let's go for a ride," Lipsey said.
Police plan to request charges of ethnic intimidation, illegal entry, malicious destruction of property, larceny, assault and battery, according to detectives.
"With him being an African-American, I believe his rage went even up higher," said Andrew Holmes, a Chicago-based community activist the family contacted following the incident.
Lipsey was lucky he wasn't hurt, Holmes said.
"It's very dangerous for these workers because they don't want to be caught and if they got a weapon on them, they will use a weapon to defend themselves, stab, shoot you so they can get away and it's as simple as that.
Lipsey's mother Cathy Phason fears for her son's safety on the job and the racist remarks he endured that day.
"Even though it could be drugs involved or mental health involved, it's something that's instilled in you," Phason said.
Fed Ex responded to the incident, issuing this statement:
We are both saddened and outraged by the behavior exhibited in this video, and our first concern is for the driver involved. We are staying connected with him and offering our support. We also have verified that a police report was filed and an investigation is underway to further address this incident.
