Man faces battery charge

LEESBURG - A 21-year-old man attacked a man at a traffic light Friday night and used a racial slur when yelling at him, police said.

Justin Gaskins, of Lady Lake, got out of his truck and punched the driver in the car next to him through an open window at U.S. Highway 27 and U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg police Lt. Rob Hicks said.

Gaskins called the victim, 67-year-old Ernest Strozier, who is black, a racial slur and continued to make racist remarks while in police custody, according to an arrest affidavit.

Gaskins was charged with burglary, battery on a person 65 years old or older and resisting arrest.

He was held Tuesday at Lake County Jail with bail set at $35,500.

Martin E. Comas and Katie Fretland contributed to this report.

Source: OrlandoSentinel