After assault, injured student reflects on his experience

Editor's Note: Names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the individuals mentioned. When Dan saw approximately 11 college-aged men harassing a group of University students walking ahead of him, he knew there was going to be trouble. Walking down Spruce Street from Murphy's Tavern with a friend, at about 3 a.m. last Friday, Dan heard the men yelling slurs at the students in front of him. "You're nothing but a bunch of Penn pussies," they shouted. Most of the men ran after the students, while Dan and his friend, Jon, sat on the steps of a church between 42nd and 43rd streets to avoid a confrontation. Dan remained untouched for the meantime, but by the end of the night suffered from several blows to his head and endured more than four hours in the emergency room. One of the men approached Dan and asked him where he attends school. "I told him I go to St. Joseph's so that he hopefully wouldn't associate me with Penn," Dan said. The man left Dan alone and caught up with the group. When the group later returned, the man's mood quickly changed. "He went ballistic," Dan said. "He was saying things like, 'let's get that fucking asshole.' He was drunk and belligerent. His friends had to hold him back. At that point I could tell they were going to get me." Splitting up, half of the group chased Dan while the other half pursued his friend. Dan escaped temporarily, hiding under a car in a nearby driveway. Dogs in the yard by the car began barking, which could have revealed Dan's location. "I ran down Pine but they caught up with me at about 41st and Pine," Dan said. "Two guys tripped me up and then they beat me up. I protected myself as best I could. They kicked and punched me in the head." While Dan says he has some knee and chest injuries, his received the most bruises on his head. The other men seized Dan's friend near 41st and Pine streets. "One of the guys said, 'keep him as hostage,'" Jon said. "They said to me, 'if we don't find your friend we're going to kick your ass." After less than a minute the men heard the commotion down the street. They released Jon to see what the rest of the group was doing. Jon was not harmed. Soon after the group reconvened a car drove by and picked up some of the men while the others scattered. Jon, who says he does not know who drove the car or how that person knew to find the group, ran to help Dan. The police arrived almost immediately, according to Jon, after a Pine Street resident called. "After they questioned me they took me to the emergency room," Dan said. "They ran tests, such as a CAT scan, to make sure there was no internal bleeding. I was in the ER until 8:30 a.m." Dan was then admitted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Doctors monitored his progress and released him at 7 a.m. Saturday. While Dan met a Victim Support Services representative, he says he wants to focus on solving his case. According to University Police Sergeant Keith Christian, University Police have four to six suspects in the case. All of them attend Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science. No arrests have been made, though. "If anyone saw the car or faces please contact the police," Dan said. "Even if it's anonymously."