September 18, 2008
Man charged in Pa. subway attack too ill for trial
The Associated PressA Philadelphia judge says a man accused of attacking a subway passenger with a hammer is too mentally ill to go to trial.
Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Scantling will remain at a state hospital for two months. Then, a status hearing will be scheduled to see if he is competent.
Scantling is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and related charges in the Sept. 4 attack. He is accused of pulling a hammer from a backpack and repeatedly striking a man he didn't know.
Scantling was arrested Sept. 9 at a mental health facility. His family has said he has been treated for paranoid schizophrenia in the past. Just before the attack, family members say he was hearing voices and thought he was being followed.