A male named Amale was caught on video punching a Philadelphia-area crossing guard in the face and knocking her unconscious Monday afternoon outside Walnut Street Elementary School in Darby Borough, police said.
The incident occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m. when the suspect exited a gold Nissan Altima, chased the guard down the sidewalk, and struck her with his left fist before fleeing.
According to Darby Borough Police Chief Joe Gabe, the suspect was reportedly angry about waiting in traffic and had yelled obscenities as he approached the crossing guard. Video footage captured the male chasing her until she fell backward to the ground after being punched in the face. The victim regained consciousness but did not report to work Tuesday; a replacement took her place. She stated she was knocked unconscious when the suspect ran back to his car and drove away.
Gabe described the attack: “It’s terrible that a person would come up, just out of nowhere, maybe frustrated with traffic or having to wait, and goes over and assaults this woman in front of children and has no problem doing it.”
A school district employee named Dionne Galloway said she works with the crossing guard daily: “Her children go to this school, so can you imagine? They shouldn’t have to witness anything like that.”
Police confirmed the suspect fled without a license plate but was seen with a paper tag in the window. Authorities are seeking public assistance to identify and apprehend the man. Gabe urged the suspect to turn himself in: “We are tracking you down, and we’re hoping that we will be able to find you and have you prosecuted.”
