Michael Keokalani Lynch, 51, of La Plata
On April 12, 2019, at approximately 1:00 p.m., deputies from the Charles County Sheriff‘s Office responded to the Smallwood Drive Park and Ride on Smallwood Drive West, for the report of an assault.
Police arrived on the scene and observed the victim, a 21-year-old male lying on the grass adjacent to the parking lot. The victim was conscious and bleeding profusely from his nose and complained of severe back pain with an inability to move.
The victim told police he was attacked and physically assaulted by three adult male suspects. He said the suspects chased him around the parking and ultimately cornered him in the rear of the lot. The suspects knocked him to the ground and proceeded to punch and kick him in his face and back repeatedly.
The victim described the first suspect as a large bald black male wearing a black jacket, the second suspect as a Hispanic male with a “pony-tail” wearing a blue shirt. and the third suspect as a black male wearing all black with a book bag.
The victim was transported by Emergency Medical Services, to Charles Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
The incident was captured on the surveillance system which monitors the Park and Ride. Police reviewed the video footage and observed the victim exit a bus and walk in the direction of another bus. Unprovoked, suspect two punches and kicks at the victim as he walks past his location. The victim drops something as he attempts to avoid the punch and kick. Suspect one jumps up from a bench and approaches the area as the victim flees onto a bus. Moments pass and the two suspects’ attention is drawn away from the bus. The victim exits the bus and walks to the opposite side, possibly to locate his property underneath the bus. Suspect two observes the victim exit the bus and alerts suspect one to his location. All three suspects begin chasing the victim throughout the parking and ultimately comer him at the rear of the lot. The victim is punched in his face and pulled to the ground, where he is punched and kicked repeatedly in his head and back by the suspects. The victim curls up in the fetal position and the suspects ultimately terminate their attack on him and walk away.
Police prepared a bulletin depicting the unknown suspects involved in this incident and distributed it to local law enforcement. An employee at the Charles County Detention Center identified suspect two, the Hispanic male with a pony-tail wearing a blue shirt, may as Michael Keokalani Lynch, 51, of La Plata.
On April 14, police spoke with the victim’s father and learned the victim suffered a fractured nose and two fractured vertebrae during the assault. Additionally, police learned the victim is intellectually disabled and functions at the level of a 15 to 16-year-old.
Lynch was arrested and charged with assault first-degree and assault second-degree.
Michael Keokalani Lynch, 51, of La Plata
