The Baltimore Police Department has released photos of the man suspected of beating two pro-life demonstrators outside of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic last month and is offering a cash reward for tips.
The attack occurred around 10:30 a.m. Eastern on May 26 outside a Planned Parenthood location on North Howard Street. The victims, 80-year-old Richard Schafer and 73-year-old Mark Crosby were peacefully praying in protest of abortion.
A police report, citing video surveillance of the alleged assault, states that the suspect was talking to Schafer, walked away from him for a moment before turning back for a “visibly aggressive conversation” with the pro-life advocate and tackling him over a large flower pot.
The report states that Crosby ran over to help his fellow protestor. At that point, the suspect turned to Crosby, shoveling him onto the ground. As Crosby was on his back, the suspect leaned over and punched him in the face with a closed fist and then stood up and kicked him in the face “with extreme force.”
The assailant is described as a 20-something white man who was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes. He has brown hair and a full beard. The witness believes the man is about 6 feet tall.
Police said they are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers Maryland at 866-7LOCKUP.
According to the police report, Schafer sustained a laceration to his hand while a side of Crosby’s face was shattered from the assault. Crosby was also experiencing neck pain as a result of the attack.
Crosby was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma unit for medical treatment and diagnosed with a large blood clot over the eye socket and bleeding within the eye itself, known as hyphemia.
Jay Walton, the president of Baltimore County Right to Life, started an online fundraiser to help Crosby with his medical bills. He identified Crosby as a volunteer of his pro-life organization.
“For years, Mark has prayed in front of the Planned Parenthood in Baltimore City to let the scared, young abortion-minded women know that they are loved, that their baby is loved. Please donate to show Mark how much HE is loved. Your donation will go to Mark to help him pay for medical expenses,” Walton wrote on the GoFundMe page.
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that allowed individual states to decide whether abortion is legal within their borders, there has been a rise in arson, vandalism, and other criminal attacks on pro-life organizations across the nation.
According to a September 2022 report from the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI), perpetrators attacked at least 63 pro-life organizations across 26 states and the District of Columbia last summer. About half of those attacked organizations are religious.
The RFI report also reveals a wave of violence against Catholic sites, with more than 30 churches that have been attacked since May 2022. Half of them appeared to be motivated by pro-abortion activism.
Attacks on Christian churches have almost tripled over the past four years, according to a December 2022 report from the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian non-profit group. In April, the organization released supplemental data documenting 69 additional attacks in the first quarter of 2023.
