5 Teens Charged, 2 Others Arrested In Dundalk Man's Beating Caught On Tape
DUNDALK, Md. (WJZ) -- Attempted murder charges. A Dundalk man is viciously beaten in front of his own home. The whole thing was caught on tape. Now, seven people are under arrest, but it hasn't eased fears in the community.
Meghan McCorkell with the new charges against the group.
All but one of those seven suspects are teenagers. They face a range of charges, including attempted murder.
Disturbing cell phone video shows 61-year-old Rick Fletcher punched and kicked repeatedly as he drops face first to the ground. Broken eye sockets, a broken nose, busted ribs and a brain bleed left him in the hospital for days.
Now police say they've tracked down seven suspects in that video, with charges ranging from attempted first-degree murder to assault.
"Five juveniles are being charged as adults, one adult is being charged and we have another juvenile in custody that will be charged as an adult," said Cpl. John Wachter, Baltimore County Police Department.
Neighbors say the suspects involved in the attack are students at Baltimore Community High School.
"A lot of the residents are still afraid. They're very afraid," said Georgia Bartrum, Harbor View Neighborhood Association.
Neighbors say students walking to a bus stop have wreaked havoc on their community for years.
Fletcher only went outside after seeing two girls fighting on top of his car.
"It's really sad because all you want to do is enjoy your home. You should never live in fear," said Bartrum.
"It's uncalled for, what these children have put these people through," said Del. Bob Long, (R) Baltimore County.
Community members are now pleading with local lawmakers for help. An MTA bus route has already been changed to try and prevent the students from walking down those streets.
"Nobody in any community should go through something like that," said Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, (R) Baltimore County.
Now the community hopes the charges filed cause an attitude shift in the students.
"It will be a wake up call, I hope, to all of them," said Bartrum.
...So this never happens again.
Fletcher is out of the hospital, but neighbors say he has a long road to recovery.
A GoFundMe page raising money for Rick Fletcher's medical expenses has now hit over $50,000.
