Advertisement Dundalk man recovering after beating Richard Fletcher, 61, viciously beaten almost to death Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Dundalk community is on edge after a large group, mostly made up of juveniles from a nearby school, viciously beat a man almost to death.It happened just before 1 p.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of 45th Street in the Harbor View area. So far, police have made two arrests in the case -- both juveniles. One will be tried as a juvenile, the other an adult.Residents said there has been an ongoing problem with students leaving nearby Baltimore Community High School, and that something needs to be done.Police, friends and family said two girls, who witnesses describe as students from the nearby Baltimore Community High School, were fighting near a green pickup truck that belongs to 61-year-old Richard Fletcher.Police said Fletcher tried to break up the fight but was then attacked by other juveniles and adults, some of them students at the school, who were watching the fight.Fletcher spent several days in a coma."You wouldn't believe it. Everybody goes in the house and shuts their door. You have to live like a prisoner. But when I came down and seen that man, it made you totally sick," a resident said.Residents who asked not to be identified said they are now fearful for their lives and property, saying it can be utter chaos when the school lets out for the day.A business owner who has surveillance video of the attack said he has received death threats from students and their friends.On Monday, there was a noticeable police presence, both from the city and the county, in the neighborhood.WBAL-TV 11 News contacted Baltimore City school officials but they declined to comment.According to the school's website, Baltimore Community High School is a second-chance school serving students who are between the ages of 14 to 21.Attempts to reach Fletcher were unsuccessful. Friends and family said he is too scared to even answer the door to his home.The Harbor View Community Association is planning a public forum Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the school to discuss the problems.Friends and family have started a fundraising page online to cover Fletcher's medical bills.Police say more arrests are pending.