Dallas police said a second suspect is in custody in the beating outside a Target store in Dallas that injured a well-known local theater director and actor earlier this month.
Derek Whitener, 33, was beaten with a wooden rod by two men just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, outside the Target store on the 2400 block of North Haskell Avenue, Dallas police say.
He was transported to Baylor Medical Center Dallas where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull. He was released from the hospital Saturday.
Police said two young men were responsible in the attack. An unidentified juvenile suspect was arrested Friday and police said a second suspect, identified as 17-year-old Zantrell Sauls, was arrested Monday evening.
Sauls is charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, police said.
While police have not confirmed the motive in the beating, they said last week that Whitener, a well-known actor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was initially confronted by two males as he walked toward the store but that the men walked away when he went to the entrance.
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Once inside the store, police said Whitener reported the men as "suspicious" to Target personnel.
As a Target security guard and an off-duty Dallas police officer approached the two men, one of them walked away. The second man, shown in surveillance video holding a wooden rod, had a brief discussion with the off-duty police officer and was asked to leave the property.
Whitener wrapped up his shopping and left the store at about 11:05 p.m. As he walked toward his vehicle, police said he was again approached by the two men. This time they made a threatening statement and began beating him with the stick before running from the parking lot.
A customer in the parking lot reported the incident to the off-duty officer who then called for medical help.
Police said there is no indication this is a hate crime, but they did not disclose what the men said before beating Whitener.
