Suspect Arrested Who Brutally Assaulted Elderly Pro-Lifers Outside Planned Parenthood - LifeNews.com

We just had a major breakthrough in the case involving the brutal beating of two elderly pro-lifers, Mark Crosby and Dick Schaefer, by an enraged abortion supporter outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood clinic. After more than a year, a suspect has finally been arrested.

You can watch the graphic attack here. (Be warned: The footage is extremely unsettling.)

Both Mr. Schaefer (then-84) and Mr. Crosby (then-73) had a long history of ministering outside Planned Parenthood. In fact, Mr. Schaefer had a regular shift in front of Planned Parenthood – two hours a day for five days a week. Both men wanted nothing more than to save babies and share lifesaving alternatives with struggling mothers.

On May 26, 2023, Mr. Schaefer was on the sidewalk next to the Planned Parenthood clinic so he could speak with pedestrians and people in cars passing by, while Mr. Crosby held a sign and stood in front of Planned Parenthood. Three Planned Parenthood volunteers (“escorts”) were also present.

Everything went as usual until about 10:15 a.m. when Mr. Schaefer was approached by a large man – about 6’2” – who stopped to chat with him. The man spoke in a loud and animated manner but was not overly hostile. He objected to Mr. Schaefer and Mr. Crosby standing outside Planned Parenthood on the grounds that “God gave everyone free choice” and “God is all merciful. Everyone is forgiven, so what are you doing here?”

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The man indicated he saw no reason for people who oppose abortion to encourage women wanting to get an abortion to seek other alternatives. Mr. Schaefer spoke with the man for a few minutes before feeling that there was nothing to be gained by speaking with him further.

Mr. Schaefer had only turned around for a moment when he felt like he was hit by a truck – in fact, he believed that he had been hit by a truck. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground with dirt all over him. Everything was fuzzy, and two ambulances and some police cars were present. He immediately looked around for Mr. Crosby, concerned that he also had been hit by the truck he believed had hit him, but Mr. Crosby was nowhere in sight. What Mr. Schaefer didn’t realize was that he had been attacked from behind and knocked unconscious by the man he had turned away from. It was all caught on film.

Mr. Crosby, who had been standing 40 feet away in the street, witnessed the attack on Mr. Schaefer. He watched as the man looked around him before charging Mr. Schaefer and slamming him into a concrete planter that stood outside Planned Parenthood’s window. In fact, Mr. Crosby stated that he believes the planter is all that saved Mr. Schaefer from crashing through the glass window of Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Crosby immediately went to the aid of Mr. Schaefer when the same man turned on him, striking him in the face, knocking him to the ground, and then kicking him in the head. Mr. Crosby was also knocked unconscious. Both men sustained extensive injuries. Mr. Schaefer had cuts and scrapes all over his body, as well as a cut on his hand that required special bandaging. Mr. Crosby sustained traumatic injuries to his head, including a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs. Mr. Crosby required several surgeries on his face.

Upon hearing about the violent attack on these two elderly pro-life advocates, the ACLJ sprung into action to defend both victims. We worked with local law enforcement and widely shared the attacker’s photo. We asked if anyone had any information that they contact Metro Crime Stoppers.

We refused to rest until justice was served for our clients. Now, it looks like the nightmare for Mr. Schaefer and Mr. Crosby might almost be over. Authorities contacted our clients, informing them that the suspect in this attack has been apprehended. A preliminary hearing in the prosecution has been set for August 1. We will keep you updated on further developments.

The ACLJ has unfortunately seen a rise in violence against pro-life advocates and Pregnancy Resource Centers since the overturning of Roe. The Biden Administration has done nothing to curb the violence; rather, the Department of Defense was recently exposed for labeling pro-life advocates and organizations as “Terrorist Groups.” We have filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request to get answers.

We will never stop defending pro-life advocates and organizations. The ACLJ will protect those who come under vicious attack for their fight to save the unborn.

LifeNews Note: Jordan Sekulow is the Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).