An Aliquippa man accused of nearly beating of a fellow city resident to death inside a Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge was apprehended Thursday.
Brett Ours, 39, was taken into custody without incident at a home along the 400 block of Allegheny Avenue in West Aliquippa.
Aliquippa police charged Ours with attempted homicide, possession of instruments of a crime, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of strangulation and three counts of simple assault.
Charges stem from the beating of Preston Coleman III, 52, inside the lodge on Aliquippa’s Penn Avenue on Jan. 5.
Coleman’s family last month said he was beaten, unprovoked and mercilessly for nearly 30 minutes.
Coleman’s face and head were so swollen from the beating that surgeons cut a tracheostomy tube into his neck so he could breathe, his daughters told reporters.
In total, police said Coleman was punched nearly 250 times.
Todd Hollis, personal injury and civil rights attorney, represents the victim’s family.
“The family is elated and appreciative of the efforts of every involved law enforcement agency, including the Beaver County district attorney, the Beaver County Police Department and the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office,” Hollis said Thursday evening.
He declined to comment on Coleman’s condition or the next steps for the family.
“We have to allow the criminal process to play out,” Hollis said.
Other agencies that collaborated to help make the arrest were the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, Aliquippa police, state police, state Attorney General’s Office, DEA, Pittsburgh police, Allegheny County Police and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.
Beaver County DA Nathan Bible commended the law enforcement agencies for capturing the suspect.
“It’s a relief that he is now in custody and we can direct our attention to the preliminary hearing,” Bible said.
Ours was transported to Aliquippa police headquarters Thursday evening and was expected to be arraigned later that night.
The department also posted information about the arrest on its Facebook page.
Not the only suspect
Ours was not the only suspect in what police said was an attack that resulted in Coleman having to be airlifted by medical helicopter to a hospital due to the severity of his injuries.
Ronald Brown, 43, of Ambridge, turned himself in to Aliquippa police and a district judge, court records show.
Brown was charged with three criminal charges — including aggravated assault and liability for the conduct of another person — after, police said, he punched Coleman up to seven times in the midst of the attack.
Ours allegedly held down the victim as Brown punched him in the head, neck and face, according to the criminal complaint.
Ours allegedly asked his girlfriend at one point to give him his knife, footage showed, according to the complaint. She refused. So, Ours started yelling at her, then punched her in the face.
Ours returned to Coleman, bludgeoning him with a bar stool and repeatedly strangling him, the complaint said. He sat on Coleman’s chest and punched him repeatedly in the face and head. according to police.
Relatives said they believe race may have triggered the attack. Ours and Brown are white. Coleman is Black.
Online court documents show Brown waived his case to court and a trial is scheduled to begin May 5.
Online court documents Thursday evening did not list a preliminary hearing for Ours.
He remains at the Beaver County Jail unable to post bail, online court records show.