Baltimore police make arrest in 2023 brutal assault of elderly pro-life advocates

After more than a year of investigation the Baltimore Police Department has made an arrest in the brutal beating of two elderly pro-life men outside a Planned Parenthood last year.

Patrick Brice, a 27-year-old resident of Baltimore City, has been indicted on five charges related to the attack on then-84-year-old Dick Schaefer and then-73-year-old Mark Crosby: one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, and two counts of assault on an elderly person.

Brice was released from police custody without bail and is being represented by a Baltimore City public defender.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which has provided legal representation to Schaefer and Crosby, shared a press release lauding the arrest as a “major breakthrough.”

“We were very pleased that they stuck with it and showed their dedication. We are looking forward to seeing what additional charges might be brought against the suspect and looking into any civil charges that can be brought,” said Olivia Summers, senior litigation counsel with the ACLJ.  

Just before the attack on May 26, 2023, the assailant engaged with Schaefer and demanded to know why the men were ministering to women outside the abortion business, the ACLJ said.  

Schaefer turned away from the man, who then slammed him into a concrete planter, almost sending him crashing through the glass of the abortion facility’s window, according to video footage. 

Schaefer said he “believed that he had been hit by a truck.”  

The attacker then turned on Crosby, who attempted to help his friend, knocking Crosby to the ground and kicking him in the head. 

Both victims were unconscious after the attack, and Crosby was hospitalized with severe head injuries requiring several surgeries. 

Amazingly, within one week of the assault, the duo returned to the post, praying and offering pro-life literature to women outside the abortion clinic. 

The attacker quickly fled the scene before he could be identified.

At the time, ACLJ circulated a petition, which garnered over 70,000 signatures, demanding accountability for the then-unknown assailant. 

“The message must be sent through the halls of justice, across the country, and even to Washington, D.C., that such barbaric behavior is never okay, and there must be harsh legal consequences for attacking innocent pro-life volunteers,” the petition reads. 

“We will not rest until their attacker is caught, and we will be in court to ensure that he receives the maximum sentence allowed by the law.” 

Brice’s first preliminary hearing was on Aug. 1.