WASHINGTON,
Pa. — Two "Stop the Violence" organizers allegedly beat one of their
colleagues so severely that he vomited blood and was left unconscious in
critical condition.
Nikole
Ardeno and Emanuel Velez, both 30, accused their former roommate of
stealing their property, and allegedly punched and kicked him in the
street until he had seizures. Arrested moments later, Ardeno was still
wearing the same "Stop the Violence" T-shirt she had on the night before
when she coordinated a march protesting two recent shootings,
Washington Police Chief Chris Luppino said.
The victim, Joshua
Magraff, also is a community organizer with the anti-violence group, and
shared an apartment with the suspects until recently.
Online
court records don't list lawyers for the defendants, who face a
preliminary hearing Nov. 10 on charges of aggravated assault,
conspiracy, simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Local
"Stop the Violence" leader Suzanne Kelley said she hopes to hear from
Ardeno, and insisted that "we don't promote violence at all."
"I
can't believe this is going on. I don't want the community to get a
negative effect from this because they back us," Kelley said.
Police
believe Ardeno and Velez attacked Magraff on Tuesday because he had
gone to the apartment they had shared to collect his belongings. Ardeno
and Velez had come to a police station about 20 minutes earlier,
accusing Magraff of burglary, but police said he appeared to be taking
only items that belonged to him as he moved out, Luppino said.
Magraff
was still unconscious and in critical condition Wednesday at UPMC Mercy
hospital in Pittsburgh, Luppino said. A hospital spokeswoman declined
to provide an update Thursday, citing a policy against releasing
information about crime victims.
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