‘Blood-Soaked and Frail’: Black Man Nearly Killed By White Man with ‘Hate’ Tattoo on Knuckles At Pennsylvania VFW Lodge Where No One Call 911 for Help But Joined In Beating Files Lawsuit
A white man with the word “hate” tattooed on his knuckles was caught on video viciously beating, kicking and strangling a 52-year-old Black man for 30 minutes inside a veteran’s lodge last month, leaving the Black man clinging to life in a coma.
The brutal attack on Preston Coleman took place on Jan. 5 inside the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, according to local police who have watched the security video from inside the lodge but have not yet released it to the public.
But it took a month for police to arrest his attacker, Brett Ours, who has a long history of violence, including being arrested on charges of kidnapping his own cousin in 2011 as well as being caught on video last year assaulting a female in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack.
Aliquippa police, who also described the attack on Coleman as “unprovoked,” arrested Ours on charges of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of strangulation, possession of an instrument of crime and three counts of simple assault. He remains jailed without bond.
Earlier this month, Coleman filed a lawsuit against the Veterans Home Association of Aliquippa, which owns and operates VFW Post 3577, where the attack took place, according to Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“Coleman is seen blood-soaked and frail as he grips the bar to pull himself up off the ground,” Aliquippa Detective David Mosua wrote in the complaint against Mr. Ours, the Post-Gazette reported.
“Without the strength to do so, he falls back onto the ground. At this point, Coleman does not appear to have the strength to defend himself or escape.”
“As Coleman lays on the ground helpless and defenseless, Ours continues punching him and kicking him in the head, neck and facial area.”
Another white man joined in the attack while a white female bartender looked on and did nothing to stop the attack, resulting in their arrests as well.
Police said Coleman was punched nearly 250 times, leaving the Black man with head injuries, brain swelling and bleeding, major fractures in his face and at least three broken ribs.
‘Unprovoked Attack‘
The incident took place at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars in Aliquippa, which Coleman had been frequenting for years.
According to police who watched the video, Coleman was sitting inside the lodge talking with Ours when the white man suddenly pulled out a knife and began stabbing it into the bar while staring at Coleman.
He then handed the knife to his girlfriend and began punching Coleman in the face, knocking him to the ground and continuing to punch him.
At one point during the attack, he tried to get the knife back from his girlfriend, but she refused to hand it to him, so he punched her in the face, according to the Post-Gazette.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old bartender, Ireland Brown, called her father, Ronald Brown, who showed up to the bar and joined the attack by punching Coleman several times.
Ireland Brown, who at first claimed she had been in the bathroom during the attack and did not see it, was charged with three felonies, including liability for conduct of another, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and hindering prosecution, as well as one misdemeanor count of tampering with evidence.
Her 44-year-old father was charged with two felonies, including liability for conduct of another and aggravated assault and a single misdemeanor count of simple assault.
“(Ronald) Brown stood by and watched the assault occur,” Aliquippa police explained in a Facebook post last month.
“Brown clearly observed the severity of the assault and that the victim was completely helpless. Brown also knew at this time that nobody had dialed 911 and there was no help on the way for the victim.
“Seeing all of this and knowing all the facts, Brown made the decision to join in on the attack. As Ours held the defenseless victim to the ground, Brown repeatedly punched the victim in his head, neck and facial area approximately seven times. After repeatedly punching the victim, Brown wiped his hands off and continued to watch Ours violently assault the victim.”
Ronald Brown turned himself in to police on Jan. 9, but Ours remained on the run until he was arrested by a fugitive task force consisting of local, state, and federal law enforcement agents, Aliquippa police reported on their Facebook page.
A video allegedly showing Ours assaulting a woman on a front porch last year was posted on Facebook, and online court records show he had been arrested for simple assault around that time, a charge that was eventually dismissed, but it’s not clear at this time if the two incidents are related. That video is posted below.
He and his brother were also charged with kidnapping, reckless endangerment, making terroristic threats and simple assault in 2011 over a money dispute with their cousin, but the charges were dismissed when the cousin did not show up to court to testify against the brothers.
Atlanta Black Star contacted Pennsylvania attorney Todd Hollis, who is representing Coleman, for a copy of the lawsuit, but his office has not yet responded. Atlanta Black Star also reached out to two of Coleman’s daughters for comment, but they have not yet responded either. ABS will update the story if they do.