A night out at a Center Township bar ended in a brutal parking lot knockout that left one man unconscious and being flown to a hospital, and another facing a slate of serious charges, according to court records.
Police say 39-year-old Joshua Sean Young has been charged in connection with the attack outside a bar in the 1800 block of North Main Street in Butler County.
According to WPXI, police and medics were called to the scene at 9:22 p.m. last Friday. Responders found the victim had lost a large amount of blood, and medics decided to have him flown to a hospital.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage from the business that captured an altercation in the parking lot. Witnesses told police the dispute started after the victim reportedly came close to hitting someone with his car. The exchange escalated, they said, until the victim was punched and knocked unconscious. Multiple witnesses identified Young at the scene, according to police.
Charges and the suspect's escape
As reported by WPXI, surveillance video shows Young striking the victim with a closed fist, sending the man to the ground, where he hit his head and face on the asphalt. Young, who is from Butler, allegedly took off from the area in a white Honda CR‑V, police said.
He now faces charges including aggravated assault with extreme indifference, simple assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
What the charges mean
Under Pennsylvania law, aggravated assault covers attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causing such injury under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, and can bring felony-level penalties. As outlined in the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, aggravated assault convictions are graded and may be punished more severely than simple assault.
Investigators interviewed multiple witnesses and reviewed the surveillance footage, and authorities have asked anyone with additional information to contact the Center Township police. It was not immediately clear whether Young had been located or taken into custody; Butler County court records will show whether prosecutors move to arraign or detain him.
