Arrest made in 2023 assault outside downtown Baltimore Planned Parenthood

BALTIMORE — Baltimore Police have charged a 27-year-old city man with assault offenses connected to an incident that took place outside a Planned Parenthood location in downtown Baltimore in May 2023.

The police department previously released a video of the assault and said they were looking for information about the suspect. In the video, a man can be seen tackling one man to the ground, then punching and kicking a second.

Charging documents say the victims were 73 and 80 years old, respectively.

According to police, who described what they were told by the victims, the incident took place following a “debate over their ideas about pro-life and pro-choice viewpoints.” A victim said the 27-year-old man “did not yell or use obscenities” but “did talk in a loud manner to get his points across.”

The other said he was spoken to in an “aggressive manner” by the man, who opposed his anti-abortion ideas, and then “without warning” was tackled into a large flowerpot.

One of the victims was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a large hematoma, or severe bruise, along with hyphema, which is when blood collects inside someone’s eye. The charging documents say he had “head and neck pain but [was] in stable condition.”

Police identified the suspect after a “source of information” provided his name and officers were able to view body camera footage of a police interaction with the man from eight days before the assault. In that footage, the man was a “one-for-one” match to the suspect, police said, and identified himself by name.

An arrest warrant was issued June 5. The man was released from jail after his arrest July 2. He has since been indicted in Baltimore City Circuit Court, but online court records do not list his next scheduled court appearance or the attorney representing him.

The incident was cited by opponents to a bill in the 2024 Maryland General Assembly session that provides funds for security improvements to reproductive health care clinics in the state. Examples of potential improvements include fencing, added lighting, security cameras and other technology. The legislation ultimately passed and was approved by the governor in May.