Barry Baker, the man charged with sucker punching a disabled man outside a local 7-Eleven, claims that he was recently attacked by a corrections officer at the Chester County Prison, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Local News.
The incident, which occurred May 10 in West Chester, provoked viral outrage after the Chester County District Attorney's Office released surveillance video of it, calling on the public to help locate the "bully" who mocked a 22-year-old man with cerebral palsy.
Authorities said Baker, a resident of Georgetown, Delaware, had twice mocked the way the man walked before punching him in the face in the parking lot of the convenience store. Baker fled the scene, failed to turn himself in after he was briefly in police custody and was eventually captured June 5 following a "two-week manhunt" by the U.S. Marshals and Chester County Sheriffs, according to authorities.
In a letter dated Aug. 2, Baker, identifying himself as "the person whom you guys love writing about," told a reporter at The Daily Local that he was "roughed up" by an officer in the protective custody block where he has been held since his arrest.
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Baker reportedly claimed the assault took place July 30 as a second prison guard stood watch for his colleague. He said the attack resulted in multiple injuries, including a separated shoulder, a concussion and a seizure. The last names of the corrections officers, included in Baker's letter, were withheld by The Daily Local.
In addition to the simple assault charge, Baker was subsequently charged with flight to avoid apprehension. His attorney, Thomas Purl III of Downingtown, told The Daily Local he was aware of the alleged incident and that Chester County prosecutors have confirmed there is an active misconduct investigation.
"I didn't want this to get swept under the rug," Baker reportedly wrote. "Plz help."
Purl told The Daily Local the alleged incident stemmed from a disagreement over a television that Baker had been permitted to keep in his cell. A prison official said Baker had not filed a formal complaint about the incident.
Baker, who was arrested at a hotel in Uwchlan Township, will appear in court Aug. 29 on the flight charges.