W. Phila. man critically hurt in beating
A West Philadelphia man was in critical condition yesterday after a beating on an underground concourse in Center City, police said.
A West Philadelphia man was in critical condition yesterday after a beating on an underground concourse in Center City, police said.
No cameras captured images of the Tuesday night assault, which followed an argument between two men near a stairway at 13th and Market Streets, said Richard Maloney, a SEPTA spokesman.
"The two men knew each other," Maloney said. "This was not a random attack."
The fight was not on SEPTA property and occurred on a pedestrian concourse owned by the city, Maloney said. A SEPTA officer heard the commotion and rushed to the scene but was unable to capture the assailant.
Witnesses said an older man stomped the 23-year-old victim numerous times in the head. Police are uncertain what prompted the beating, but a family member told detectives both men had appeared in Family Court earlier in the day.
The man on the run is described as black, with a scruffy beard and close-cropped hair, lanky, about 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds. He was wearing an oversize white T-shirt, dark capri-style jeans, and tan Timberland boots, police said.
The victim, whose name was not released, was on a ventilator at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Two weeks ago, in an assault that drew national attention, a man who relatives say is mentally ill allegedly attacked a dozing passenger on the Broad Street Line. No fellow riders came to the victim's immediate aid, which sparked a spirited debate on what actions they should have taken.
Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Guardian Angels, the volunteer security patrol, will increase its presence on Philadelphia subways, said the group's founder, Curtis Sliwa. Reinforcements from the Angels' New York City chapter will bolster the local chapter's 30 members, he said.
