VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A former member of a Virginia city’s Human Rights Commission has been arrested on domestic-related charges for the second time in a year, court records show.
LaKendrick Coburn El, 35, was charged Tuesday with simple assault and battery of a family member, news outlets reported, citing court documents.
A victim told Virginia Beach police on Monday that El slapped her head and knocked her turban off, the records alleged. Her relationship to El was not specified. In February, a woman also claimed he grabbed a “headdress” from her head and ripped it, The Virginian-Pilot reported .
Trial in that case was set for May 28 and a trial for the most recent charge was set for August 3.
El was appointed to Virginia Beach’s Human Rights Commission in 2019, but resigned from the volunteer board about five months later after posting statements on Facebook that some criticized as homophobic, news outlets said.
El’s latest charge also comes about two months after the commission’s former chairman, Rajeeb Islam, was found guilty of abusing two of his children. He was previously charged with trying to run their mother over with his car, prosecutors said.
El could not be reached for comment Tuesday, The Pilot said. Court documents indicated he denied the accusations and planned to represent himself in the criminal cases.