14 DAY TRIAL // 37-year-old William Clark, of Philadelphia, is under arrest for assaulting a 23-year-old woman in a train station, after he attempted to push her onto the tracks.
On Tuesday, January 15, at approximately 3.30 p.m., Clark was caught on CCTV approaching the woman. At first, he came up to her and asked her for a lighter.
According to Opposing Views, she refused to give him said lighter and he became angry, forcibly removing it from her hands. He then assaulted her, punching her repeatedly.
During the brutal attack, he grabbed her by an ankle and started dragging her, eventually managing to throw her off the platform and onto the train tracks.
The incident took place in the Eighth and Race Street subway station, in Chinatown. Clark's young victim was lucky enough to survive the incident with some minor wounds and bruises to her head and face.
According to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation police (SEPTA), the woman dropped her phone on the ground as she fell. The cell phone was taken by the assailant.
My Fox Philadelphia wrote that officers were able to track down Clark because he was wearing a recognizable type of jacket.
"He had a very distinct jacket and it was so distinct that we were trying to keep it within law enforcement circles because it was our best lead," SEPTA Transit Police Chief Thomas Nestel told reporters in a statement.
Although details were not immediately released to the press, it turned out that he had on a Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resorts garment.
Clark was apprehended on Thursday, when a policeman spotted him wearing it underneath another coat, at a different Center City subway stop.
The victim's cell phone was in his possession when police interviewed him. His criminal record included past arrests for burglary and several robberies.