On Thursday, police in Wilmington, Delaware charged a 21-year-old Pennsylvania man with second-degree assault in the unprovoked attack of a Marine veteran.
According to police, surveillance video “that captured the incident” was a key piece of evidence and corroborated that the attack happened “suddenly and without provocation.” The video can be seen here.
As a result of Wednesday’s incident, 26-year-old U.S. Marine Veteran Brendan O’Toole, who for the past 11 months has been running across America to raise awareness and support for veterans and their families, suffered a concussion and a bloodied and bruised face.
O’Toole said that the attack on a downtown street was apropos of nothing. “I was walking down the street with everybody else when in the middle of passing by this young guy…well, he just rocked me,”O’Toole told Breitbart Sports on Wednesday. “And for no reason… the guy never said a word.”
According to police, after being spotted Thursday afternoon napping under a downtown doorway, Garry Beauford, the 21 year-old suspect from Chester, Pennsylvania, was taken into custody. Wilmington police tweeted a photo of Beauford on Thursday evening.
O’Toole, who founded The Run for Veterans (TRFV) to raise support and funds for combat veterans and their families, had just completed his run through Delaware and was cooling down before being assaulted. Delaware marked O’Toole’s 13th state since leaving last November 11–Veterans Day– from Oceanside, California to begin his 21 state, 3,600 mile run.
Despite the “temporary setback”, O’Toole remains focused on TRFV’s mission and is anxious to get back on the road. “The head is feeling better and the legs have gotten a nice rest,” said O’Toole.
O’Toole is quick to thank the Wilmington police and to express his gratitude to those who have reached out to show their support. “The local reaction has been so overwhelming and positive,” O’Toole told Breitbart Sports. “The police have been great and people from all across Delaware who have been sending emails and notes have been unbelievable.”
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