Hammer attack victim recovering

UPDATED 3:30 PM

A Gloucester City, NJ business owner who was attacked by a hammer-wielding assailant outside a West Philadelphia convenience store February 20 is expected to recover.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a suspect identified as Nathanial Maybin, 29, of the 800 block of S. 56th St., Philadelphia.

The victim, David Woods Sr., 45, is being treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; he is conscious and interacting with family members, and is undergoing therapy.

Woods owns a security gate company called Day and Night Door Service and was leaving a convenience store near 49th and Lancaster when he was attacked around 4 p.m. Thursday.

A stomach-turning surveillance video clip obtained by WPVI-TV shows Woods' assailant swooping in, bashing his victim repeatedly in the head, then returning to strike, and kick, Woods as he lies bleeding on the sidewalk.

Woods,  a father of three, also has a 22-month-old granddaughter. He is the son-in-law of Bill Cleary, the editor of CNBnews.net in Gloucester City, who was frustrated by an initial absence of public information and news  coverage.

"Our family especially wants to thank Bernard Williams, David's [employee]," Cleary said.

Williams, who grew up with Woods in Fairview, pursued the assailant for two blocks and then brought Woods to the emergency room.

Witnesses or others with information about the the suspect's wherabouts should call Southwest Detectives.

--KEVIN RIORDAN