Reading man accused of hammer assault arrested after another domestic incident

Jul. 6—A Reading man accused of beating someone in his home with a hammer is in Berks County Prison after his arrest Tuesday night in what police described as a separate, domestic-related assault at his home.

Marcos D. Diaz-Brown, 32, was jailed in lieu of a total of $30,000 bail to await a hearing following arraignment Tuesday night before District Judge Eric J. Taylor in Reading Central Court.

Diaz-Brown faces charges of aggravated and simple assault in both cases in addition to reckless endangerment and possessing an instrument of crime in the hammer assault that police said occurred June 18 at his home in the 1300 block of Fairview Street.

Investigators provided these accounts in the criminal complaints:

Police were dispatched to Diaz-Brown's home shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday for a 911 call for a domestic incident. Diaz-Brown told the officer that a stranger had come to his house to use the phone and ended up fighting with residents and leaving.

The officer said everyone in the home indicated they didn't want help from police, so he left.

At 8:47 p.m., dispatchers reactivated the domestic incident call after a male resident of the home called from another home. He said he was in the living room when police arrived but went along with what Diaz-Brown was saying even though he knew it was wrong. He said he was scared of Brown.

He said that after police left, Brown punched him while he was in the living room. The victim fled to the bathroom and locked the door, but Diaz-Brown kicked down the door and choked him, leaving red marks and bruises on his neck.

After choking him for a minute, Diaz-Brown released him, then slapped him twice. The victim said the assault stopped only when he said he was going to call police again.

It wasn't immediately clear why Diaz-Brown wasn't taken into custody at that encounter, as city police obtained an arrest warrant for him related to a June 18 incident.

In that case, police said they were called to Diaz-Brown's home shortly before 8 a.m. for a report of an assault. When they arrived, they learned the victim had been transported to Reading Hospital for his injuries.

An officer went to the hospital and spoke to the victim in the trauma area. The officer saw a cut on the back of the victim's head and scratches on his face.

The victim said he spent the night at Diaz-Brown's residence. When he woke up about 7 a.m., Diaz-Brown told him to leave. The victim said he was going to leave but first needed to get his phone and wallet.

Diaz-Brown refused to give those items to him. Diaz-Brown punched him, and as the victim tried to flee the house, Diaz-Brown grabbed a hammer and chased him, catching up to him at Fairview and South 14th Street. The victim estimated Diaz-Brown struck him 30 times with the hammer.

Where to find help

Call 9-1-1 if you or someone you know are in immediate danger.

To seek the help of an advocate or to contact Safe Berks, call the 24-hour hotline, 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.

Safe Berks provides free and confidential services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault 24 hours a day. All services are available in English and Spanish, and translation will be used for any other language needed.