Suspect in Hanover ax attack is held without bond
A Lee-Davis High School student surrendered without resistance to Hanover County authorities last week as a classmate lay a few feet away, severely injured from an ax attack that sloughed off the side of the victim's face.
The youth charged in the attack, Omar K. Abdelaal, who turned 16 this month, was ordered held without bond yesterday after a prosecutor told a juvenile court judge that Abdelaal "represents a threat to the community."
The ax attack occurred Friday evening at Tractor Supply Co. across from the high school on Mechanicsville Turnpike. Hanover Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Linda Scott told Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Judge Larry E. Gilman that there is a videotape of the attack, and that the victim faced Abdelaal with his hands at his side when he was struck.
Gilmer set a preliminary hearing for Abdelaal for Nov. 13. Hanover prosecutors said they will seek to try the sophomore student as an adult; he faces up to life in prison on a charge of aggravated malicious wounding.
Appearing by video from a holding cell, Abdelaal was polite and deferential, answering questions from the court yesterday with "No, sir" and "Yes, sir."
Scott said Abdelaal calmly separated himself from a group of other youths Friday evening, pulled an ax from a display stand inside the store, removed a protective covering from the blade and swung at the 15-year-old victim. The victim, a classmate of Abdelaal's, received at least 120 stitches on the left side of his face, Scott said.
In his statement to police, Abdelaal said he was not provoked before the attack and acknowledged striking the student with the ax, according to Scott. "He stated he didn't feel threatened," she said.
But R. Craig Evans, Abdelaal's lawyer, said the young man had been harassed and was followed into Tractor Supply Co. by a group of students who carried knives.
Evans said Abdelaal has never had a run-in with the law, gets good grades and had never been suspended from school. "As for the ax thing, I can't explain," Evans said.
Scott, though, said Abdelaal's current grades show two F's and two C's. "There are obviously some things going on that the family is unaware of," Scott said.
Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or
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Reader Reactions
Although it is everyone’s God given right to defend themselves when threatened this appears to be a case “ I just felt like doing it”. I too consider myself “rednecky” and am damn proud of it. A little advice for some of you readers like JT, try reading the article before you post such an assinine response. If the young man stated he didn’t feel threatened, how can you disseminate that he acted in self defense. Smart kid you say huh??? are you judging 2 Fs and 2 Cs by your own standrds…God help us. Maybe you have missed your calling and should have become a “clairvoyant”. No in today’s society replete with the growing class of EMOs all is fair and everyone should just learn to live with it….how dare we throw away the very priciples that our country was founded on. In other worldly societies this young man would no longer be wasting the air the rest of us need to survive!!
I know Omar, not like a close friend but well enough to know that this was purely self defense. I know hitting him in the head was too much but you cant judge him from the witness point of view. Think what you would have done if you saw some kids follow you with knives knowing that there is a possibility that they could take your life. In my opinion,although it may sound a bit morbid, that kid got what he deserved. Those kids thought that because he is smart he is weak and that they can just bully him around and one kid payed for it. Besides Omar could have killed the kid and his friends if he wanted to but did he.No he just gave them the definition of Karma. In real life Omar is a good kid who defended himself when he was faced some idiots with knives who could have killed him if they wanted.
Bullying has been around since the beginning of time. We all have been bullied at some point in our lives. We learned how to deal with it though.
This kid screwed up. The bullies screwed up. The parents screwed up. Its a sad situation, but he choose to take the route he took. Shame on the bullies, the ax swinger and all parents of any of these children involved.
qhgirl, as a graduate of Lee-Davis, I know that the “redneck” group is not a gang, and it also does not include all of those who may be considered a redneck. That said, it IS a group who have their own parking spot that you just dont park in unless you are part of the clique. They are notorious for having bullies in their midst, were wildly intolerant of other people, and could be violent. It never included weapons but that was 10 years ago. I know Tripp Chalkley and he is a world class jerk, it is likely that he is going to use this to try to get himself in the papers as being tough on crime…as long as the criminal isnt someone he is friends with. If this kid was really violent, that kid would be dead right now, and this would have been a LOT bloodier than it turned out. He showed a lot more mercy than I would have if three armed thugs chased me into a store threatening violence upon my person.
So every “redneck” that I’ve ever met is in the same “gang” And every “geek” “jock” “skater”.. those are all gangs now?? I’m amazed at how stupid people really are.
Abdelaal should be behind bars like he is. The article states that the was not feeling threatened when he grabbed the ax and attacked. The victim was facing him with his hands down by his side. what does that tell you?? Abdelaal made the choice to grab an ax and attack a fellow student. Whether or not the other student was bullying him does not give him the right to physically attack with him a weapon. Everyone keeps calling the victim and his friends rednecks - here is a question for ya’ll - just what exactly is a redneck??
VAGent- The police have a policy of not releasing the name of juvenile’s charged as juveniles. Since they are seeking to try him as an adult, this would explain why his name was released.
It’s also possible that the police didn’t release the name, but witnesses spoke with the press and were happy to give up that information.
Either way, why does it matter? If the guy ends up being found guilty, he’ll be off the streets. If he’s found not guilty then we’ll all know who not to piss off next time! If you don’t want your name published in the media for committing a crime, then *ding* *ding* *ding* Don’t commit a crime!!!
I would imagine the RTD published the name as he is being charged as an adult.. which would mean the courts don’t consider him a juvenile. I have seen other juveniles named.. the Parish boys come to mind.
I have also seen other user comments (of course we need to take them for what they are.. anon comments) that the attacker had mental issues.. so maybe he could be considered a threat. Even if the two groups were trading a couple of taunts.. that certainly wouldn’t merit this type of reaction. Maybe they are afraid that if the suspect is presented with a similarly stressfull situation, he will become violent again?
The article says he calmly went about committing the act.. doesn’t sound like a kid pushed to the hysterical brink.
BTW.. I consider myself part redneck..lol. Mostly because I have guns.. a 4 wheel drive, live in the woods with my dogs.. and hunt and enjoy fishing… and NASCAR. Of course that doesn’t mean that I am racist. or a bully.. or drag my knuckles.. (actually have a masters degree). Don’t even fly the rebel flag.. It seems like it is ok for people here to stereotype “rednecks”.. yet everyone else is off limits. lol
Hmmm. I thought it was RT-D policy not to publish the names of adolescents charged with a crime, so I’m disappointed in this lapse. Knowing the student’s name doesn’t increase my safety.
I wonder if the name would be published if his last name was Jones, Smith, etc?
.....im inclined to agree with you somewhat on that in the sense that i dont think that this kid was a threat to the community and if the truth is to be told, most of these kids in these ‘gangs’ are merely going thru a phase…the problem comes when they ‘act out’ and committ some silly, but serious crime(see hanover juvenile hits student with axe). once this is done, this changes everything for this kid.
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