Deep Ellum assault suspect arrested for DWI, ordered to attend AA meetings
DALLAS - The man who is facing felony charges for allegedly assaulting a woman in Deep Ellum appeared in court again Wednesday because of a recent DWI.
Austin Shuffield was pulled over in Collin County on Dec. 2 and arrested for driving while intoxicated.
That arrest violated the conditions a judge set when he initially bonded out of jail in March. A condition of his bond was to not drink alcohol or use drugs.
A Dallas County judge allowed Shuffield to remain out on bond, but she did impose stricter conditions.
Shuffield avoided cameras Wednesday morning as he walked into the courtroom to answer to a judge.
December 2019 (Plano PD)
In March, a witness captured video of a road rage incident in Deep Ellum. Shuffield can be seen in the video punching a woman several times.
According to Dallas police, L’Daijohnique Lee stopped her vehicle because she had been driving the wrong way on Elm Street. Shuffield asked her to move out of the way because she was blocking the parking lot exit.
Lee told police she moved her vehicle into the parking lot. Shuffield then got out of his truck and the two argued. The video shows Shuffield pull out a handgun.
Lee said she tried to call 911 but he knocked her cellphone out of her hand. The video shows Lee strike Shuffield. He responds by punching her five times in the head and kicking her phone away.
In November, a Dallas County grand jury indicted Shuffield on two felony charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was also indicted on two misdemeanor charges of assault and obstruction of justice.
“This was just a hearing to address the modification of Mr. Shuffield's bond condition to address a new claim, a new charge added against him,” Special Prosecutor Russell Wilson said.
Judge Lela May on Wednesday set additional conditions for Shuffield’s bond release because of the DWI.
He's now required to blow into an alcohol monitoring device at home several times per day. He must also submit to random drug and alcohol testing and attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings each week.
Shuffield told the judge he’s been sober since the December arrest and is working with an AA sponsor. He and his attorney wouldn’t answer questions after the hearing.
Wilson added that he is okay with the new conditions the judge set for the defendant.
The trial date has not yet been set for the Deep Ellum assault case.
Both sides said they are looking forward to using the cellphone video to support their position.