A man has pleaded guilty after prosecutors said he held down a teen and carved a gang name into the boy’s chest.
Doniel A. Heard, 37, of Canton, pleaded guilty on Oct. 29 to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider.
In his plea, Heard admitted that at the time of the assault, Nov. 24, 2017, he was the leader of a Michigan set of the national Bloods street gang, according to authorities.
Believing that the 15-year-old victim had disrespected two fellow gang members, Heard and three other gang members beat and robbed the boy in Genesee Township, outside of Flint, Mich., authorities said.
Investigators said after the beating, the other gang members held the boy down while Heard used a large knife to carve the name of the local Bloods set, “MOB 662” into the boy’s chest.
The teen suffered permanent bodily injury as a result of the assault.
“This was a vicious attack on a 15-year old boy by a violent street gang. This type of senseless violence will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to bring the full force of federal law upon gang members who seek to destroy our communities with violence and intimidation,” Schneider said.
Sentencing is set for March 4, 2020 in Flint. Heard faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said two other gang members who participated in the assault are also scheduled to be sentenced that day.
Talasha Willis, a gang member who also participated in the assault, was sentenced in May of this year to 100 months in federal prison.