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

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."

Bloom uses a wheelchair and 911 call records show that Fields' once allegedly stood behind her and threatened her with a 12-inch knife. "In another incident in 2010, Bloom said that Fields smacked her in the head and locked her in the bathroom after she told him to stop playing video games," AP writes. "Bloom told officers Fields was on medication to control his temper."

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Fields was photographed at the Unite the Right rally carrying a shield with a white supremacist emblem. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when Fields allegedly intentionally drove his car in the crowd.