Suspect in deadly Charlottesville car attack had history of violently threatening his mother

A memorial for Heather Heyer.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The 20-year-old man charged with second-degree murder after allegedly driving his car into a crowd of counter-protesters Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia, once reportedly threatened his mother with a knife and beat her, 911 call records obtained by The Associated Press show.

James Fields had moved with his mother to Ohio from Kentucky shortly before he made the trip to Virginia for Saturday's white nationalist demonstrations. Fields' mother, Samantha Bloom, told The Associated Press on Sunday: "I just knew he was going to a rally. I mean, I try to stay out of his political views. You know, we don't, you know, I don't really get too involved, I moved him out to his own apartment, so we — I'm watching his cat."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.