Suspect in custody after allegedly attacking man with hatchet near SEPTA station

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A suspect was taken into custody on Sunday after Philadelphia police say he attacked another man with a hatchet near a SEPTA concourse.

Authorities identified the suspect as 28-year-old Kenneth Rogers. Rogers was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and other related offenses.

"This is an individual that we know well, that our transit police officers know well. He's quite frankly a menace," said SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson.

Officers responded to the scene at 8th and Market streets in Center City just after 1 a.m.

Upon arrival, a man told police he had been assaulted in the concourse near the Broad-Ridge Spur of the subway.

The victim told investigators he was walking through the concourse of the station when he was attacked from behind and struck on the head.

When he turned around, the victim said he encountered a man with a hatchet who demanded valuables in what appeared to be a robbery attempt.

The victim only had a dollar, and continued to be assaulted, police said.

The victim told police that a man struck him several times in the head with a hatchet and he was kicked repeatedly in the face.

Investigators say the victim suffered lacerations to the back of his head and bruises to his face.

He was transported to Jefferson University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The victim gave police a description of the attacker before being taken to the hospital, officers say.

SEPTA police later saw a man matching the victim's description of the suspect and he was taken into custody. Rogers had an active warrant from Philadelphia police for attempted murder, authorities told Action News.

"He shouldn't have been out quite frankly," Lawson said.

Police noted that Rogers did not have a hatchet on him when he was taken into custody and no weapons were recovered at the scene.

The 6abc Data Journalism Team found violent crimes - including robbery and aggravated assault - were up in 2023, compared to the average over the previous three years. Early data for 2024 also shows the number of robberies and aggravated assaults did drop in the first month of the year.

With enhanced, live surveillance technology, 60 officers hired last year and plans to hire 40 more this year, despite the challenges, Lawson says SEPTA is safe.

"If I don't have an officer right on the scene, I have them within very close proximity. They're arriving on the scene they're making arrests. These instances, while occurring and while causing fear, are occurring at just a fraction of the trips that we're doing on any given day," Lawson said.

Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact the police.

RELATED: Check the 6abc Neighborhood Safety Tracker