Asad Welch at his detention hearing.
An Atlantic County high school senior accused of attacking a teen and then threatening the victim and his family will stay jailed.
Asad Welch, 18, is accused of lying in wait inside his car on South Drive before confronting the juvenile who was walking to his bus stop March 18, according to the charges.
Welch repeatedly punched, kneed and kicked the unnamed juvenile, taking him to the ground, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
The victim eventually was able to run home to North Drive, where he told his mother and her fiance what happened, the report states.
All three went to confront Welch, who was found parked in the 600 block of North Raleigh Avenue, according to the affidavit. A woman whose name is not being released was in the driver’s seat and Welch was the front passenger.
When the three confronted Welch, he pulled out a black handgun with a blue laser and pointed it at all three, who backed away, the affidavit states.
An unnamed woman then went into the Volkswagen, retrieved an unknown item and ran into a residence on the block, the affidavit states. Her name is redacted from the report, and it does not appear she has been charged with anything at this time.
The car was gone when police arrived to find the unnamed woman and the family of three in a verbal argument.
The woman gave Welch’s name as Sean Smith with a date of birth that would have made him 16 years old, the affidavit states. He actually turned 18 on Feb. 22.
Police later were notified that Hamilton Township police had stopped the Volkswagen, detaining Welch and the driver.
The driver consented to a search, but no weapon was found.
Defense attorney Ed Weinstock argued that there was no proof of a weapon and that “anything those three connected victims would have to say should be taken with a grain of salt.”
Welch has no criminal history, including as a juvenile, Weinstock said, arguing against the public safety assessment calling for detention.
He pointed to character letters, including from his manager at Wawa, where Weinstock said there was still a job for him.
Welch is set to graduate in June.
“This is literally his first contact with the criminal justice system in his life,” Weinstock said of Welch. “It would be a travesty if he is not permitted to graduate from high school.”
Judge Dorothy Garrabrant disagreed, saying that the circumstances of the case told a different story. She also said she gave “great weight” the public safety assessment’s recommendation for detention.
Welch remains in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
