Mike Wallace Assault Case Trial Took Place Today – Former NASCAR Driver Testified for Two Hours
Back on June 17th, former NASCAR driver Mike Wallace was attacked. Mike was beaten by 3 men and left unconscious in Charlotte, NC after exiting a Rascal Flatts concert. He was alongside his family, who also suffered injury.
Related: NASCAR Driver Mike Wallace Attacked in Charlotte
The 3 men who allegedly did the attacking then drove off in a white pickup truck with a company name printed on the side. That led to a very swift arrest, a trial date was filed soon after.
Fast forward, the trail of the Mike Wallace assault case took place today. Paul Lucas, 29, Nathan Lucas, 24, and Randolph Mangum, 23 all pleaded not guilty prior to the start of the trial. Mike Wallace testified in court today for two hours. It also brought new details to the surface on the case.
Mike Wallace testified that he suffered a broken tooth, which still hasn’t been replaced. Mike further explained medical issues that he’s still suffering from following the incident. Stating that he now has floaters in his right eye and also suffers from depth perception.
Lindsey Wallace Van Wingerden, who is the daughter to Mike Wallace, also suffered a broken wrist and black eye.
How’d you like the show?
-Mike Wallace
“How’d you like the show?” That’s the phrase Mike Wallace claims to regret. He says it’s the words that sparked his attack.
Mike claims he saw a man staggering by the bathroom, drunk. When that same man approached the group next to Mike’s car he stated, “Looks like your boy made it back.” He then addressed a mom in the group, “Hi, mom, how are you doing?”
Things escalated very quickly. Next, one of the men in the group began cursing Mike. “Get the hell out of here,” to which Wallace responded, “What the hell is going on? What is wrong with you?”
After that, the fun night was sent to a quick close and months of headache would follow. Mike says he doesn’t remember anything after those statements.
Mike Wallace claims he had four drinks throughout the night. Two at dinner before the show and another two during the concert. Anti-anxiety medication was also in his system. The former NASCAR driver claimed he’d taken the prescription medication earlier in the day. Those two things, don’t mix. As his doctor explained to him.
Mike claims he did not start the fight. A video of the fight was shown in the assault trail. Mike had trouble identifying faces. The video did appear to show Mike getting punched.
In what appears to be a desperate attempt as deflection, the defenders brought up an old case file. Court records show that Mike Wallace was hit with an assault charge in 2007. Timothy Wayne Coe was the accuser in that case. However, Mike was never convicted. The case was dismissed.
A police officer took the stand in the trial as well. He stated, “The men charged in the fight acted in self-defense.”
However, after several hours spent in court. North Carolina District Court Judge Ronald declared a mistrial. Two witnesses were in the courtroom during the first day of trial. That violated the sequestration order in the case. The Judge explained “Their testimony could be influenced by what they saw.”
No new Mike Wallace assault trial date was set.
Quotes: ESPN
