July 11, 2021
Sesame Place/Facebook
A man and a woman from New York were found guilty of assaulting a teenager working at Sesame Place in Bucks County after a dispute over the park's mask rule on Aug. 9, 2020.
A man and a woman from New York were found guilty Friday by a Bucks County jury of assaulting a teenager working at Sesame Place when he reminded them that they were required to wear face masks during an August 2020 visit to the theme park, according to multiple reports.
Troy McCoy, 40, was convicted of aggravated assault, simple assault, disorderly conduct and recklessly endangering another person, according to the Inquirer. His girlfriend, 32-year-old Shakerra Bonds, was convicted on charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct.
The assault occurred after a teen working at Sesame Place told the Bronx couple they had to wear face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus during visit to the theme park in Langhorne on Aug. 9, 2020. The teen suffered a fractured jaw and damaged teeth, according to police, and was hospitalized for seven days.
In court, the teen testified that McCoy "sucker punched" him from behind while he was arguing with Bonds, according to the Inquirer. During her testimony, Bonds admitted to punching the teen in the face before McCoy's punch sent him to the ground unconscious, the newspaper reported.
McCoy and Bonds fled from security after the attack and escaped the park in their car. Police said they were able to identify the couple within 24 hours using surveillance footage, transaction records and vehicle registration. Ten days after the attack, U.S. Marshals took McCoy into custody after he barricaded himself inside his home, according to police. Bonds later turned herself in.
President Judge Wallace H. Batemen on Friday revoked McCoy's bail and ordered for Bonds' bail to be increased to 10% of $25,000, according to NBC10. They will be sentenced in early October, the Inquirer reported.
