Police: 2nd Suspect In Assault, Robbery Of Wheelchair-Bound Upper Darby Man In Custody

By Brad Segall

UPPER DARBY, Pa (CBS) — Upper Darby police say a second suspect allegedly involved in the robbery and assault of a Delaware County man in a wheelchair is now behind bars facing numerous charges.

Police believe the media attention surrounding the videotaped assault of a Secane man on July 26 led Keenan Smith to turn himself in. The 21-year-old southwest Philadelphia man was wanted for his alleged involvement in an attack against a man who suffers from muscular dystrophy.

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“We went to different locations,” said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood. “We interviewed family, relatives and friends and as a result of all the press, we believe that he chose discretion as the better part of valor.”

Chitwood called Smith a dangerous guy who is now being held on $1-million cash bail.

“My philosophy is that you can’t commit crime if you’re in jail,” he said. “So if you’re selling drugs, or you’re doing robberies or doing burglaries, if you get caught you can expect a very significant high bail.”

A co-defendant, 23-year-old Domenic Henderson of Upper Darby, was picked up the day of the incident.

Chitwood says the surveillance from the man’s apartment shows him being pulled out of the wheelchair and dragged across the room before the two men took his property. He says it took the victim over an hour to crawl to retrieve his phone to call for help.

The charges against Smith include assault, robbery, reckless endangerment and terroristic threats.