Islam Member Pleads Not Guilty in Attack on Deputy
A Nation of Islam member charged with assaulting a sheriff’s deputy during a street fight in which a fellow Muslim was killed pleaded not guilty Wednesday, court officials said.
David Charles Hartley, 18, was wounded by gunfire during the January confrontation between Nation of Islam members and two deputies.
Hartley entered his plea during arraignment in Torrance Superior Court. A pretrial hearing was set for June 1, said court clerk Frederick Coulter. Hartley faces trial on charges of assaulting a law officer, removing an officer’s gun and resisting arrest.
Killed in the Jan. 23 melee was Oliver Beasley, 27.
The shooting incident erupted after deputies stopped Hartley for investigation of speeding.
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