DarQuan Jones, 22, said he was walking to his girlfriend’s house when he was attacked by the suspects around 3:25 a.m. in the south side of Des Moines, according to a police report.
DarQuan’s father, Daryl Jones Jr., said that the men broke multiple bones and had his son in a choke-hold.
When arrests are made, Daryl Jones Jr. and the NAACP said they want assault charges elevated to a hate crime if detectives determine the motive for the attack was influenced by racism, they said.
“After speaking with Quan, his family, and the witnesses that have come forward, if the story is as they state it is, then what occurred yesterday should be nothing less than a hate crime,” said Kameron Middlebrooks, president of the NAACP in Des Moines.
Daryl Jones Jr. said his son is recovering at home, happy to still have his life.