ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA – A confrontation that began with remarks on an escalator inside a busy suburban mall ended with a 14-year-old girl hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after police say a man slashed her with a knife.
The incident unfolded around 2 p.m. at the Willow Grove Park Mall, where the teen and her friends were descending an escalator when they began making comments about a smell, according to a criminal complaint. Angel Ortiz, 23, who was standing behind them, allegedly reacted after one of the girls turned the comment toward him.
According to investigators, Ortiz began yelling and repeatedly challenged the teen, saying, “Why don’t you hit me?” The situation escalated moments later.
Escalator encounter turns violent
Surveillance footage reviewed by police shows Ortiz initially walking away from the group before the 14-year-old followed him and appeared to strike him on the head. Authorities say Ortiz then swung back while holding a knife.
Ortiz later told officers he did not intend to stab the girl, saying he only wanted her to “back off,” but the teen suffered cuts to both arms and was bleeding at the scene.
Emergency responders arrived just before 2:30 p.m. after receiving reports of an assault involving a weapon. Police said the girl, “who had sustained multiple lacerations from an edged weapon,” was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Arrest and charges filed
Officers located Ortiz nearby shortly after the incident. He allegedly told police he went to a Chipotle restaurant in the mall to “cool off” and wait for a bus following the altercation.
Police said Ortiz was taken into custody and found to be carrying two pocket knives at the time of his arrest. Investigators confirmed that Ortiz and the victim did not know each other prior to the encounter.
Ortiz is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and possession of an instrument of crime with intent. Court records show he is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $50,000 bail.
He was arraigned Thursday and is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on April 29.
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