LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man was convicted last week of aggravated assault for attacking a person with whom he had a fender bender in the city last year, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
Nathaniel Hurricane Fields IV, 34, of the 400 block of South Prince Street, was found guilty of the felony charge after a three-day trial.
He was accused of punching the victim multiple times in the body and face, causing the senior citizen to fall to the ground and break their wrist.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on March 26, 2021, at the corner of East Liberty and North Plum streets, according to testimony at trial.
Police that responded to the scene of the reported rear-end collision found the injured victim at the scene. The victim's car had sustained rear-end damage in the crash, police said.
The victim reported that he was stopped at the intersection waiting for another car to pass when another car struck the back of his vehicle. He got out to exchange information with the other driver, later identified as Fields, police said.
When the victim asked Fields for his information, Fields told the victim he did not have a driver's license. He then punched the victim approximately five times in the body and face, causing the victim to fall and injure his left wrist.
Fields then fled from the scene while the victim laid on the ground, according to police.
A witness at the scene helped the victim get up and into his car, and the victim was later transported to Lancaster General Hospital for treatment.
An orthopedic surgeon who provided medical care to the victim testified that the injuries the victim suffered were rare, and that he usually only saw these types of injuries in motorcycle accidents. The injuries also required multiple surgeries including a rod and pins being inserted and removed.
Fields was also found guilty of accidents involving damage to attended vehicle or property, a misdemeanor, and two summary offenses of failing to give information and driving under suspension.
Prosecutors said Fields had 14 prior offenses and a suspended license.
Fields' defense team argued that he did not act with the intention to cause the wrist fractures or serious bodily injury, and conceded that he was guilty of simple assault instead for solely punching the victim.
Assistant District Attorney Christie Wilson responded by saying it was an unprovoked attack that ended up causing serious bodily injury to a victim who was over 60.
“After several punches, it’s clear the defendant’s actions could knock someone to the ground and cause serious bodily injury,” Wilson said in her closing argument. “This was a 62-year-old victim that was pummeled over and over again, never hit back once, and tried to get away from the defendant.”
Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer Karson Arnold filed charges, testified, and attended the entirety of trial.
