Police said there was no evidence that a man -- who remained in critical condition at Einstein Medical Center after being badly beaten outside a Philadelphia gas station -- did anything to a boy to prompt the supposed vigilante beating.
Two women remained behind bars as investigators continued to search for more suspects in the brutal beating -- involving a hammer, a piece of wood and Mace -- at a Sunoco gas station at 5th Street and Somerville Ave in Olney last week.
Once the justice-seeking attackers -- at least six of them -- finished their violent assault, one of the women grabbed a boy from the minivan, as seen in surveillance video, and brought him over to look at the 51-year-old victim.
"One of the women was screaming look at my child's face," said Brittney Horsey, a witness. "He did this to my child's face."
On Monday, police reiterated there is no evidence and no video of an earlier altercation with the child that prompted the violent attack, which left the victim with severe head injuries.
Police arrested Shareena Joachim, 24, and Aleathea Gillard, 34. A judge denied both women bail as he arraigned them on seven counts including attempted murder, aggravated assault, possessing instruments of crime and related offenses, court records show.
Aside from Joachim and Gillard, the surveillance video shows at least four others jump from a minivan and rush the man as he stood outside the Sunoco. The group punched and stomped the man, even striking him with a hammer.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"There was just so much blood, I'm screaming 'stop, stop, stop,'" said Horsey.
