Masked suspect accused of attacking person leaving Hatfield, Pennsylvania, apartment
Authorities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, are investigating after a person was assaulted by a masked suspect while leaving their home at the Hatfield Village Apartments.
Hatfield police said they received a 911 call that a person had been assaulted at the apartments on the 2000 block of Maple Avenue around 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
The assault was captured on surveillance video nearby, which police told CBS News Philadelphia they are using as part of the investigation. In the video shared online, a person is seen walking into the parking lot while holding bags before the masked suspect runs up behind them and quickly knocks them to the ground. The suspect, who was dressed in all black, then tackled the person and continued to assault them.
At the end of the video, you see the suspect run away, and the person gathers their belongings.
By the time Hatfield police had arrived at the apartment complex, the suspected attacker had already left the area. Investigators said the suspect was allegedly wearing gloves and a ski mask during the attack.
Police said they're keeping an open mind during their investigation, but are also looking at it as a targeted attack. Investigators said the victim was taken to the hospital for injuries and has since been released.
On Friday, Hatfield Police Chief William Tierney assured residents that the town and the Hatfield Village Apartments are still very safe.
"Although the video made its way online, it also gave us pieces of the puzzle that we need to bring closure for the victim in this case," Tierney said in an update about the investigation. "As I have said in the past, I will always let you know if your safety is at risk. If there was a belief that anyone was at risk, you absolutely would have heard it from me."
Neighbors told CBS News Philadelphia that they were unnerved by the incident, which occurred in a place they described as typically very quiet.
"Pretty shocking, you know what I mean, knowing that my wife comes out here and walks around at night with the dogs," Chris Norbeck, a resident who's lived in the complex for six years, said. "And there other girls that walk around at night with dogs."
"I'm out here 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning. And I'm usually alert when I come out, looking at cars, see if anything is going on. But I haven't ever really seen anything," neighbor Paul Ohlott said.
The assault is still under investigation. Authorities ask anyone who knows anything about the assault or was in the area and may have witnessed it to call the Hatfield Police Department at (215) 855-0903.
