Mark Crosby's life changed forever on May 26, 2023.

On that day, a then-unknown assailant brutally attacked Crosby and fellow pro-life advocate Dick Schaefer outside a Planned Parenthood in downtown Baltimore.

The attacker's attorney added that his client 'didn’t mean to hurt them that bad' and 'made a mistake,' the Banner reported.

Both men had been praying, holding pro-life signs, and offering pro-life materials to people entering the abortion facility, Catholic Review said, adding that Crosby and Schaefer — both retired — do that five days each week between 9 and 11 a.m.

The bearded suspect, who was arguing with Schaefer about abortion, is seen on surveillance video charging into Schaefer — who was 84 years old at the time — and tackling him backward him into a flower pot. According to WBAL-TV, a witness said the attacker knocked Schaefer out cold "for several minutes."

The video shows Crosby — who was 73 years old at the time — running over to help Schaefer, but the suspect easily knocks Crosby down to the sidewalk before punching Crosby in the head, kicking Crosby in the face, and then walking away. You can view a video report here about the attack.

Local pro-life advocate John Roswell told LifeSiteNews at the time that Crosby’s “plate bone in his upper right cheek is completely fractured” and that he “is bleeding from some unidentified area behind his eye, and the bone eye orbit is completely shattered and will have to be replaced with metal.”

Crosby told Blaze News in an interview this month that he was blind in his right eye "for nine days" after the attack, spent three days at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, was "spitting blood," and that a piece of his iris is missing.

He also told Blaze News he still experiences foreign body sensation, which is a "feeling that something's in your eye and you can't get it out. But I can live with that. Babies are being murdered. I give it up for them."

Finally, an arrest — more than a year later

On July 1, 2024 — more than a year later — police arrested Baltimore resident Patrick Brice in connection with the attack on Crosby and Schaefer.

Brice was indicted on charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and assault on an elderly person 65 and over, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. He was released on his own recognizance, Catholic Review said.

The criminal trial for Brice took place earlier this month in Baltimore Circuit Court. The Baltimore Banner reported that Brice, 28, exercised his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and did not testify.

But his attorney — Assistant Public Defender Matthew Connell — argued that his client didn't intend to cause serious physical injury, which is needed to support a conviction for first-degree assault, the Banner said.

'Mr. Brice is a grown man. He’s not a child. He knew what he was doing.'

Connell also called Schaefer and Crosby “old white men” who say “the most vile things” to women and see themselves as “religious martyrs," Catholic Review reported.

“Somebody snapped on them,” Connell argued, according to the Banner.

The attacker's attorney added that his client “didn’t mean to hurt them that bad" and “made a mistake," the Banner reported.

Crosby told Blaze News that video of Brice's beatdown of Crosby and Schaefer was shown in court and that one juror was "crying," while "others were looking away" from the violence onscreen.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Sudberry in her opening remarks called Brice's attack “brazen, callous, barbaric behavior," Catholic Review said. Sudberry noted throughout her closing argument that "you saw what you saw, and you heard what you heard," the Banner reported.

Sudberry added that "Mr. Brice is a grown man. He’s not a child. He knew what he was doing," the Banner said.

Hung jury on most serious charge for attack on Crosby

The jury deliberated for about two hours and convicted Brice on two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for his attacks on Schaefer and Crosby, the Banner said.

However, jurors acquitted Brice on one count of first-degree assault against Schaefer, the paper said.

As for the first-degree assault charge against Brice for attacking Crosby — knocking him to the ground, punching him in his head, and kicking him in his face while he was on his back on the sidewalk — the Banner said the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

Attorney Terrell Roberts — retained by the Thomas More Society to assist Crosby amid deliberations — told Blaze News that as things stand, Brice could walk away from all of this with nothing but probation.

Crosby told Blaze News that he's prayed for Brice and has 'forgiven him,' but he wants prosecutors to go for the first-degree assault conviction for the violence he carried out: 'We're waiting for Brice to go to jail.'

Brice's convictions for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment — both misdemeanors — in Maryland carry maximum jail sentences of 10 years and five years, respectively.

Roberts added to Blaze News that sentencing guidelines for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment don't include jail sentences, and the Banner reported that Brice has no previous criminal record. Roberts told Blaze News that while Brice's attack on Crosby was a "pretty egregious act," there's a "good chance" a judge may not sentence Brice to any jail time.

Which is why Roberts told Blaze News it's "so important" that Brice is found guilty of the first-degree assault charge against Crosby. It's a felony and a "serious offense," Roberts said, and means "intent to cause serious bodily injury," which could land Brice in jail for 25 years. Roberts also told Blaze News that the sentencing guideline for first-degree assault does call for a jail sentence.

Now what?

The Banner reported that it wasn't immediately clear whether prosecutors intend to retry the first-degree assault charge against Brice.

James Bentley, a spokesperson for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, told the paper that it's “reviewing the matter and will take whatever action we believe is warranted following that review and consultation with the victim.”

Roberts told Blaze News he believes there's sufficient evidence to find Brice guilty of first-degree assault and that he's pressing the prosecution to retry the charge and argue the case in court.

But so far there's been "no progress," Roberts said, adding to Blaze News that he was supposed to hear back from prosecutors on Feb. 21, but as of the late afternoon that date, he had not.

Brice is scheduled to be sentenced March 20 on his second-degree assault and reckless endangerment convictions, the Banner said.

Crosby told Blaze News that he's prayed for Brice and has "forgiven him" but wants prosecutors to go for the first-degree assault conviction for the violence he carried out: "We're waiting for Brice to go to jail."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!