2 held for trial in stabbing of Villanova student
NEWTOWN >> Assault and related charges were held over for trial Thursday for two men accused in the attack and stabbing of a Villanova student earlier this month in Radnor. The two suspects were in district court in Newtown Square Thursday for their preliminary hearings.
But as the hearing ended, family members of the two men arrested painted a completely different image of the incident, saying the alleged victim was really the aggressor.
Earlier this month Sterling Frazier-Sallad, 23, of Conshohocken and Antwine Bing, 27, of Ardmore were arrested and charged in the early morning attack that occurred on the 900 block of County Line Road in Bryn Mawr.
As the one accused of the actual stabbing, Bing was charged with aggravated assault, while Frazier-Sallad was charged with simple assault for allegedly trying to punch the victim.
According to court documents, police first responded to Bryn Mawr Hospital in the early morning hours of Oct. 6 for the report of a stabbing. The victim told police he was attacked by three men after leaving Kelly’s Taproom on Lancaster Avenue. He went on to say he didn’t know he was stabbed until he got home and saw the blood. He then walked to the hospital.
In court Thursday, the victim said he walked to Kelly’s bar on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr to walk a friend home shortly before 2 a.m.
As he and the woman walked along Prospect Avenue toward County Line Road, he said he could see the silhouettes of three men yelling at the two of them. He testified that he told the woman to run.
Eventually, the men approached and an altercation took place. He reported one of the men took a swing at him but missed. He then said the second man hit him in the chest as a third man was nearby filming the incident. He believed he was stabbed when the second man hit him in the chest.
In court, the victim reported that he suffered a collapsed lung during the attack and still has some bleeding.
No one else testified at the hearing, and Judge David Lang ordered all charges against both Bing and Frazier-Sallad held over for trial.
Prior to the hearing, Frazier-Sallad’s attorney, Christopher Koschier, provided a hand-written note to reporters from his client stating, “Please don’t draw conclusions prematurely. There is video footage and it will clearly show what occurred. I’m asking for support and understanding.”
Following the hearing, family members of Bing and Frazier-Sallad spoke out, saying there was more to the story than what was being reported.
Chenell Sallad, FrazierSallad’s mother, defended her son and said the victim has changed his story several times since the incident took place.
“My son is innocent and I’m asking that the community come through – NAACP, the ACLU and come support my son that he be exonerated on all charges,” Chanell Sallad said.
She also questioned why the victim didn’t know that he was stabbed until after he went home.
The third man that was present at the time of the incident was also at court and told reporters afterward that he recorded the incident and put it on the social media site Snapchat. He said the video is no longer available because Snapchat deletes the video shortly after they are posted.
When asked why he recorded the video, he said, “because this fool was yelling at us and I wanted to see … what was up with him.” He added that the man had also yelled racial slurs at them and claimed to be in a gang.
When asked whether any of them had a knife, he said no, but then said he doesn’t check their pockets.
As both defendants exited the court building in shackles to be taken back to prison both denied any role in the altercation.
“I’m innocent,” FrazerSallad said as he exited the court. “No, I wasn’t there; he attacked me and started hitting me.”
Bing was brought out of court right after and also denied involvement.
“We didn’t have nothing to do with it,” Bing said.
Both men were then returned to Delaware County Prison to await formal arraignment and trial in Delaware County Court.