A city man was taken into custody and at least five others, including three juveniles, are under investigation after a June 2024 robbery left a man with skull fractures, spinal injuries and dentures embedded in his gums.

Altoona police officers were dispatched to a residence along the 1500 block of 16th Avenue about 2:28 a.m. on June 4, 2024, for a reported robbery and assault. Officers noted that they could immediately see the victim’s “very obvious” injuries to the face and head, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Officers reported the victim’s left eye being swollen and bruised with a bleeding laceration, his lips cut, a large hematoma to the top of his head surrounded by small cuts and destroyed dentures. The victim told officers he had also been knocked unconscious during the assault, the police report stated.

The victim said he was walking up 13th Avenue toward the Booker T. Washington basketball courts to bring some vehicle parts to his cousin’s place. Upon reaching the courts, a group of two females and four males, who had been lingering near the playground’s pavilion, began yelling and making their way over to him. The victim said one of the female members of the group appeared to be egging the rest on, the report stated.

The victim told officers the group told him to give them what he had, so he handed over his bag. Dissatisfied with the contents, the group demanded the victim’s cellphone. Rather than give up his phone, the victim decided to flee in the direction of his cousin’s residence and the group began chasing him, the report stated.

The victim said he was struck in the head with “an object” and that was the last thing he truly remembered. When he woke up, he was bleeding and his phone was gone. He then walked back to his residence, where his wife called the police, the report stated.

The victim was then transported to UPMC Altoona for treatment. Officers later located the victim’s cellphone and the contents of his bag, which consisted of a quart of motor oil, a short length of rubber tubing and a pack of cigarettes, scattered near the scene of the assault, according to the affidavit.

When officers reported to the hospital, they were told by emergency room staff the victim had suffered “numerous” facial and skull fractures; a left eye orbital blowout fracture; two neck vertebrae injuries to the “C2” and “C3,” which became “bulging discs”; and air pockets forming around his brain. The victim told officers he also suffered pieces of his dentures embedding into his gums, bruising on his left shoulder and a hairline fracture along the right side of his jaw. Nurses said the victim’s status would be upgraded to a “trauma,” and he would be flown to Pittsburgh for more intensive treatment, the report states.

While at UPMC Altoona, officers were notified that other officers encountered seven individuals at the Gospel Hill Park at 14th Street and 15th Avenue. The officers detained three juveniles already known to police for being involved in late night disturbances, while four individuals fled, the report states.

Officers reviewed an officer’s body cam footage, which showed the three juveniles, identified as AP, LP and DH, wearing clothing that matched the description provided by the victim. When AP and LP were placed in the back of a patrol car to be taken back to their parents, they could be heard saying “I thought they saw us at Booker T.,” according to the criminal complaint.

AP and her parents then reported to APD to provide a statement. She said LP told the boys to beat up the victim when they saw him walking up the street. DH then went over to the victim and came back with oil, which AP said she told him to give back. AP told officers she stayed by the pavilion and saw the boys start hitting the victim. AP’s mother said the incident was recorded and AP could be heard telling everyone to stop, the report states.

Officers also spoke with DH and his mother. He told officers he was at Booker T. with AP, LP, Tyler Ray Brown, 20, Altoona resident Dylyn Evans, 20, and another individual. He said there was another person present, but he didn’t know who they were. DH told officers the group was drinking alcohol when they saw the victim and someone said to rob them. The group ran over but DH said he fell in the grass and passed out from the alcohol. When DH woke up, the victim was already on the ground and he didn’t know who did what to him, according to the complaint.

DH’s mother then gave officers a copy of the video mentioned by AP’s mother. The video appeared to be recorded by LP and showed the victim on the ground surrounded by other individuals. Only their feet were visible and one person punched the victim while he was unconscious on the ground. AP can be heard yelling at them to stop, the report states.

On Aug. 14, 2024, officers created three separate photo line-ups for the victim, with one containing a picture of Brown, another of Evans and the third of one of the juveniles. The victim said he only remembered two of the males as it was dark out and everything happened so quickly. The victim positively identified Evans as one of the people who attacked him.

Brown was arraigned Thursday by Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio on single felony counts of robbery – inflict serious bodily injury, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, as well as single misdemeanor charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and theft. He was remanded to the Blair County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, where he awaits a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones on July 30.

While Evans faces identical charges to Brown, his case remains inactive. His whereabouts are unknown.