AKRON, Ohio — Twenty-seven-year-old Andrew Walls, the Kent man charged in connection with an attack that was captured on video in Akron earlier this year, pleaded no contest in the case Wednesday morning.
The judge has now ordered a presentence investigation with sentencing set for Monday, Nov. 21.
Walls was arrested in late February on charges of assault and weapons while intoxicated after video shows him using a racial slur before punching Cameron Morgan in the face during the alleged incident in Highland Square.
Morgan went to the hospital with a busted lip and a concussion as a result of the incident. She previously told 3News she was out with friends on a Saturday night when she came across a man who was calling people the N-word.
The footage quickly spread on social media.
Some reports also say Walls had also been associated with the far-right nationalist group known as the Proud Boys.
“Hate has no place in our beloved city,” Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said in part of a statement after video of the incident surfaced. “We will use every resource at our disposal to bring anyone who engages in racially motivated or bias based crimes to justice. We stand united with the victim of this heinous assault and her family to ensure justice is served.”
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story surrounding this case on Feb. 28, 2022.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE CASE:
- RELATED: Akron chief prosecutor says office 'zealously trying to coordinate' with others to consider hate crime charges in Andrew Walls assault case
- RELATED: Street cam videos show man assaulting woman in February attack at Akron's Highland Square
- RELATED: Woman suing Kent man after Akron attack, racial slur that was captured on video
- RELATED: Bond set at $25,000 for man charged in Akron attack after using racial slur
- RELATED: Kent man accused of attacking women after using the N-word in viral video turns himself in to police; FBI investigating
- RELATED: Kent man accused of attacking women after using the N-word in viral video turns himself in to police; FBI investigating