Man and his mother charged in Upper Darby attack

The video shows an unidentified victim lying on an Upper Darby sidewalk as an assailant repeatedly stomps on his head - taking little leaps to add force as he plants a boot on the unconscious man's face.

A Good Samaritan tries to intervene and is thrown to the ground, punched, and kicked before he flees.

If not for the quick action of an Upper Darby police officer, the victim might not have survived, authorities said yesterday.

Officer John News "probably saved the victim from being kicked to death on the streets of our community," said Michael J. Chitwood, superintendent of police.

Police have charged Rhashad Carlton, 25, and his mother, Bonita, 45 - both of the 7100 block of West Chester Pike, Upper Darby - with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.

Chitwood said that after viewing the surveillance video, which police obtained yesterday from a nearby business, he plans to upgrade the charges against Rhashad Carlton to include attempted homicide.

Bonita Carlton was released on bail. Rhashad Carlton was being held in the Delaware County prison.

"Mom was disrespected inside the bar," Chitwood said, explaining the alleged reason for the fight. He said the victim did not know the attackers.

At 2:19 a.m. Saturday, News was pulling out of the Upper Darby police station when he saw a fight outside Sean Og Irish Pub, directly across the street in the 7200 block of West Chester Pike, according to court documents.

News ran over, pulled away both the Carltons, and pointed his Taser weapon at the pair. Backup officers arrived in minutes, Chitwood said. News was not available for comment yesterday.

Rhashad Carlton has a history of aggravated assault charges in New York. This was Bonita Carlton's first arrest, Chitwood said.

According to Delaware County court records, Rhashad Carlton pleaded guilty in April to disorderly conduct and in July to harassment.

Police are not releasing the victim's name. Chitwood said he was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and was treated for blood on the brain, fractures to bones in his neck and face, and numerous cuts to his face. The victim has been released, police said.

"He is lucky to be alive," Chitwood said.

Yesterday, inside the smoke-filled bar, the bartender, who did not give her name, said only that "nobody here saw nothing that night. I wasn't here." Chitwood called the bar "a cesspool and a pit."

News, 29, has been with the department since October 2005. He was named the department's 2008 Marine Corps League Officer of the Year.