One charged, one at large in assault on Penn Grad student
Police said they have one suspect in custody, but another is still at large in the assault of a University of Pennsylvania graduate student in University City Sunday night.
Authorities said the pair is also suspected in another brick assault on a man in Center City early Saturday morning.
"I had a big lump on my forehead and a couple lumps in my head," said Kale Dougherty.
Dougherty, 27, said he was walking home from his bartending job around 2:40 a.m. Saturday on the 900 block of Clinton when he was attacked.
"I was close to home, they just tackled me from behind, punched me in the face," said Dougherty. "I managed to pick the first guy up and I was stupid to put him back down."
He said one of the men grabbed a Belgian block paver from the sidewalk and began hitting him with it.
Dougherty was later able to identify his assailants as the men in the surveillance video released, identified by police as 20-year-old Lance Ryan and 18-year-old Dujuan Dantzler.
Police said the next night these two men would strike again in the 400 block of S. 43rd Street, this time hitting 26-year-old Penn graduate student Dean Schmeltz over the head with a brick, fracturing his skull for his credit card and cash.
"He was beat up pretty bad, and he didn't quite understand what had happened to him," said Lt. John Walker of the Philadelphia Police. "He thought he was hit with fists, but now we're learning that the method these individuals used was a brick that they hit him with in the head."
Police believe the men were responsible for another assault in the 100 block of Farragut, kicking and punching a man for his wallet.
Police said after their pictures were aired on Action News, tip callers led to the arrest of Ryan. Dantzler is still on the run, believed to be hiding out in Delaware.
Police said the two had just been released from jail, after serving time for three similar robberies last year at the intersection of 18th and Ellsworth streets.
"Seems like exactly after committing these robberies and getting the punishment that the judge gave them, they continued on almost a year later doing the same type of action," said Walker.
Police said presently Ryan has only been charged with the assault on the Penn grad student, as they continue to tie loose ends on the other incidents.
In the meantime, if anyone knows the whereabouts of Dujuan Dantzler, you are being asked to call 215-686-TIPS.
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