DES MOINES, Iowa — A father is furious after his son was allegedly beaten by two white men in Des Moines early Saturday morning.
DarQuan "Quan" Jones, 22, was walking down the street to visit his girlfriend early Saturday morning when two men jumped and beat him. That's according to his father, Daryl Jones Jr.
Quan was left with significant injuries, according to Des Moines police.
"They beat my son," Daryl told Local 5'. "They broke his face in five places. They broke his wrists. These are not kid actions. These are grown, grown men or grown actions. So we just want justice for Quan. That's all we want."
"This was a serious assault. A young man was brutally beaten and had severe injuries and that makes it a high priority for our department," said Detective Steve Waymire with the Des Moines Police Department.
On Sunday, the Des Moines NAACP branch held a press conference to address the attack and the recent cyber attack from Thursday.
Kameron Middlebrooks, chair of the Civil and Human Rights Commission and NAACP Des Moines Branch President, addressed both incidents during the press conference.
His statement in part read, "Living in the midst of COVID-19, it is easy to believe that this virus is the cause of many of our problems. In truth, it has only exacerbated these issues we face. The greatest being another invisible virus, racism, and how deeply rooted it is in the foundation and continuation of this nation."
Middlebrooks' statement also urged the Des Moines Police Department to investigate the assault as a hate crime.
"This is a uncomfortable time for many, with everything going on with the coronavirus, and the last thing we should live in fear of is brutally racist attacks," he said.
"As a father you can't- you can't prepare yourself for that conversation. You have to stay strong for your son. You have to be there for your son," Daryl said.