Four white men from Mercer Country, Pennsylvania, are looking at several charges, including conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after they were accused of beating a Black man at a local bar, the Sharon Herald reported.
The charges stem from an assault that reportedly took place in the city of Sharon in western Pennsylvania, on April 29. Law enforcement responded to a call that Thursday night around 12:06 a.m. at Marigold Bar located on 38 N. Main Ave. However, when police arrived, they saw four men leaving on motorcycles. According to the police report, two witnesses, video surveillance images, and the unidentified victim’s account suggested that the group of men were involved in the attack.
Witnesses told the authorities that the four men used racial slurs as they attacked the man. One claimed they heard one of the men say, “Looks like it’s going to be stomp a n- – – -r night.”
The victim told officers that he did not know the four men who attacked him. When he entered the bar, one of the men blocked his path when he attempted to go to the restroom. Shortly afterward the victim was punched and knocked down to the ground, he said. Afterward, all four men began to kick the man repeatedly.
He suffered several injuries, including a cut on his hand and bruising to his face. The victim was so severely beaten he could not recall his home address or Social Security number. He was later taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for his concussion as well as other injuries.
Thomas L. Boyer II., John Michael Fortuna, Casey Thomas Boyer, and Papillon Keeler were charged on Friday, May 14. All four suspects were charged with ethnic intimidation, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, riot, and reckless endangerment. Boyer was hit with an additional charge of robbery after law enforcement accused him of allegedly stealing the victim’s watch. The ages of the alleged attackers range from 27 to 48.
As of Wednesday, May 12, Thomas Boyer and Keeler remained in Mercer County Jail on $100,000. Casey Boyer and Fortuna were released after posting bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the four suspects on Tuesday, May 25, in front of District Judge Dennis M. Songer of Sharon.
