2 Lancaster Men Charged in Alleged Racial Shooting

Attempted murder charges were filed Monday against two men accused of taking part in a racial shooting outside a Lancaster fast-food restaurant in October, authorities said.

Jason Deal, 21, and Michael Bryant, 19, both of Lancaster, were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Los Angeles Municipal Court, but the hearing was continued to Dec. 22 so that the defendants could retain their own attorneys, said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Carla Arranaga.

Each man faces five counts of attempted murder, Arranaga said. Deal’s brother, Thomas Edward Deal, 19, pleaded not guilty to the same charges last week.

Prosecutors allege Thomas Deal was driving a car from which Jason Deal fired at another car outside a Lancaster Taco Bell on Oct. 24. No one was hurt. Three of the counts carry a hate crime provision because three of the five people in the other car were African Americans.

Deal and Bryant were arrested Friday night, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Pigott of the Antelope Valley station. He said it appeared that the men in Deal’s car were skinhead-type white supremacists and that they flashed “white power” gang signs after the shooting.

“There was no reason for them to stage a threat to that car other than because they were African American,” Pigott said.

Evidence obtained under search warrants at one suspect’s home also indicated that the crime may have been bias-related, Pigott said. He declined to elaborate.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that others were involved in the shooting, Arranaga said. Bryant is being held on $2.57-million bail. Jason Deal is being held on $2.58-million bail and Thomas Deal’s bail has been set at $2.56 million.