A man who stumbled upon a thief trying to steal a wheel from his car in a Cheltenham Township apartment complex late Sunday night wound up hospitalized after the man beat him with a wrench and a brick, police said.
Police said that the victim spotted the man trying to steal the wheel from his vehicle about 11:20 p.m. at Mather and Wagner ways in Cheltenham's Lynnewood Gardens apartment complex. When he intervened to stop him, police said, the man severely beat him with a wrench and a brick. The man then got into a silver Chevy Cruze driven by a woman and the two fled the area, according to investigators.
Despite his injuries, police said the victim was able to provide officers with the license plate number of the Chevy Cruze which came back registered to a home in Ambler. Police set up surveillance at the home and the suspects' vehicle arrived shortly after, officials said. The suspects, identified as Sergio Gullo, 44, of Ambler, and Emi Oka, 37, of Colmar, were arrested and charged with aggravated assault, robbery, and other related offenses. They were transported to the Cheltenham Police Station for processing and are awaiting arraignment.
The victim was treated for his injuries and later released.
