A lawsuit filed against white supremacist group Patriot Front is moving forward two years after a Black man claimed that he was attacked by a dozen of its members. Charles M. Murrell III appeared before a Boston federal judge on Oct. 3 to detail what happened two years earlier.

The special education teacher was headed to the Boston Public Library when he encountered the group who were dressed in khaki pants, dark-colored shirts, and face coverings, carrying shields. Murrell, who is also a musician, had planned to play his saxophone in the area but instead alleges that he was surrounded by the group, antagonized, and brutalized. “I thought I was going to die,” he said, according to The Boston Globe.

The alleged aggressors are said to have kicked, punched, and struck Murrell with their shields. The man filed a civil suit against the group’s leader, Thomas Rousseau, last year. Rousseau never responded to the suit and was found liable. The filing described the brawl as a “coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack.”

A witness who testified at the recent hearing said participants in the mob “were ganging up” on the Black man and “pushing him violently with their shields.” He suffered a lacerated right finger and other injuries that required stitches. About 100 members of Patriot Front were in Boston on July 2, 2022, for a flash “Reclaim America” demonstration through the city’s downtown area, known as the historic Freedom Trail.

“As a result of this beating, Mr. Murrell sustained physical injuries to his face, head, and hand, all of which required medical attention. Mr. Murrell also continued to suffer significant emotional distress to this day as a result of the incident,” states the lawsuit.

“What happened to Mr. Murrell was no accident. For years, Patriot Front — an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center — has publicly and privately advocated for the use of violence against those who disagree with its express goal of creating an entirely ‘white’ United States,” it continued.

Murrell is seeking an undisclosed amount for his emotional and physical suffering as well as legal costs and other damages determined by the court.