A 28-year-old man has avoided prison time in 2023 after being found guilty of violently assaulting two elderly pro-life activists outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Baltimore.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant sentenced Patrick Bryce to one year of home detention and three years of probation on Thursday, despite prosecutors seeking a ten-year prison term for two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
Mark Crosby, one of the victims, expressed his anguish to the judge as she left the bench, asking, “What about my rights and happiness?” Crosby, aged 73, was attacked on May 26, 2023. Bryce claimed he had been furious over accusations by Richard Schaefer, the other victim, who was 84 at the time, suggesting that they were racially charged. Surveillance footage captured the assault, showing Bryce attacking both men after they had engaged outside the clinic.
Reportedly, Bryce told the court, “I just took a picture one day,” before offering an apology to Crosby.
After the incident, while Schaefer declined medical treatment, Crosby spent three days hospitalized at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center and had to return to the emergency room twice due to multiple injuries, including an orbital fracture that resulted in lasting damage to his right eye.
As part of his sentence, Bryce must also attend anger management classes and undergo regular drug and alcohol screenings.
Tom Breja commented on the matter, stating, “This was not a minor argument between two political groups. It was a brutal, targeted attack on two elderly individuals praying for expectant mothers and offering alternatives to abortion.” He highlighted the severity of the injuries, noting one victim was knocked unconscious while the other sustained broken facial bones and has ongoing vision problems, calling it an act of cruelty.
State attorney Ashley Sbury emphasized the need for stricter consequences, asserting, “Attacking two older men on the streets for their religious or political views is unacceptable in Baltimore.”
Terrell Roberts, representing Crosby, read a statement that expressed the profound disregard for both the law and human decency exemplified by the assault, stating, “We were not in a position to protect ourselves,” and adding, “It’s shocking to witness such atrocities against the elderly.”
