Philadelphia Police arrested Wednesday two South Philly men who allegedly attacked and beat the 27-year-old son of a Philly cop as bars let out in Old City two weekends ago.
But the case is nowhere near closed.
Two of the other alleged attackers caught on video allegedly beating the victim remain on the loose, according to police.
The two suspects in custody are 21-year-old Michael Russo and 19-year-old Edward Costello, police said.
Costello, of the 2700 block of S Smedley Street, and Russo, of the 2100 hundred block of S Carlisle Street, both face conspiracy, assault, reckless endangerment and related offenses. Russo also faces a possessing an instrument of crime charge, cops said.
Both suspects were out on $35,000 bail, according to police.
It wasn’t clear how either man was caught or if they are cooperating in identifying other suspects.
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The April 30 brawl left the victim unconscious for some time but he was eventually able to stand up, stumbling with help from some of his friends. The 27-year-old suffered a broken jaw, numerous facial fractures including a fractured orbital bone and six stitches to his forehead.
The beating happened around 2 a.m. after the victim left Mad River at 126 Chestnut Street and rushed towards the E-Z Park lot located at the end of Chestnut Street, according to Philadelphia Police.
A group of four men apparently attacked the victim’s friend -- punching him and kicking him while he was down -- before the victim stepped in and became the target of the mob’s blows.
"The only thing we could do is call 9-1-1," says a parking attendant who witnessed the melee.
The motive of the attack wasn't clear but it had allegedly started as a fight inside Mad River and flowed over into the parking lot.
The men punched the victim numerous times in the face and kicked him as he was down.
After initially jumping the man, the victim appears to question the alleged attackers when one of the men -- apparently Russo -- appears to attack him again with a "blindside" punch, police said.
The blow delivered was so violent cops edited it out of the video they posted to YouTube.
The group of attackers left the scene with a couple women but surveillance video shows a few of them coming back and appearing to be talking to the victim’s friends as the women try to peel them away again.
Here are the descriptions of the two attackers who remain on the loose, according to police:
1. White male, mid 20s, dark hair, black T-shirt, light pants
2. White male, mid 20s, dark hair, white T-shirt and black pants
Police are hoping witnesses will come forward including a man seen in the video wearing a blue shirt who kept the alleged attackers away after the victim was knocked out.
Anyone with information on the beating or who may recognize the alleged attackers from the video should call Central Detectives at 215-686-3093/3094 or by visiting the Philly PD website.
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