August 23, 2021
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Herbert Morrison turned himself into Philadelphia police on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, and has been charged with assaulting Zach Lean, a delivery driver who authorities say was attacked by a group of bicyclists on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, on Christian Street in Queen Village.
Philadelphia police on Monday released video footage of a group of people assaulting a delivery driver, who loved ones say is in a coma and fighting for his life after the attack.
Investigators are searching for as many as seven people who they believe were involved in the attack on Zach Lean in Queen Village on Aug 17. Herbert Morrison, 19, turned himself in to police on Saturday and was charged with aggravated assault and related offenses in connection with the incident.
Lean had been driving west on Christian Street just after 10:15 p.m. when he stopped his car in front of a group of eight bicyclists near Third Street, police said. In video released by police, Lean is seen standing behind his car and appears to gesture at the group as they approach and surround him.
The video shows members of the group appear to shove Lean before one person lands a punch to the delivery driver's head that sends him falling to the ground. Lean is then kicked or stomped while he is on the sidewalk. The group scatters when another car pulls up behind them and stops by Lean's body.
Police said Lean hit his head on the sidewalk and was unconscious for a short period of time before having a seizure. He was taken to Jefferson Hospital, where he remains in a coma and on a ventilator. Lean's wife, Christine Torrisi, told KYW Newsradio that the back of her husband's skull was fractured, which caused his brain to swell and bleed.
"My sweet, kind, loving, gentle husband being beaten to a near inch of his life. For what?" Torrisi, Lean's wife of just three months, told the radio station.
Surveillance video shared by the Philadelphia Police Department shows a group of people on bicycles suspected of assaulting Shipt delivery driver Zach Lean on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, near the intersection of Third and Christian streets. One person, 19-year-old Herbert Morrison, has been charged in connection to the attack.
According to a GoFundMe page, Lean delivers groceries for Shipt and had just dropped off an order when he was attacked. The page had raised more than $81,000 as of Monday evening for Lean's medical expenses related in part to the emergency brain surgery he required.
"Zach is getting excellent care, but he is in critical condition," the page says. "The next days and weeks will be important as they assess the level of swelling and bleeding in his brain, and more seriously the long-term impact."
Surveillance video shared by the Philadelphia Police Department shows a person suspected of being part of a group of bicyclists who assaulted Shipt delivery driver Zach Lean on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, near the intersection of Third and Christian streets. Anyone with information about the individuals is asked to call (215) 686-3013 or (215) 686-TIPS (8477).
Anyone with information about the group of people who are suspected of attacking Lean is asked to call Philadelphia police at either (215) 686-3013 or (215) 686-TIPS (8477). You can also text PPDTIP (773847) or email tips@phillypolice.com.
