A second suspect has been charged in connection with the brutal mob attack that occurred last month outside of a Burglund neighborhood nightclub and left a 38-year-old man critically injured.
On Wednesday, McComb police booked James A. Bell, 36, 706 S. Fourth St., McComb, on charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and probation violation.
Detective Shannon Sullivan said Bell turned himself in to his probation officer shortly after the police department began circulating Bell’s mugshot on a Crimestoppers notice asking the public for information regarding his whereabouts.
Police say Bell took part in the “brutal” mass beating of Mickell Isaac at the South of the Border Bar & Lounge, 430 Summit St., on June 14.
When officers responded to the incident around 11:30 p.m., they found Isaac badly bleeding and requiring immediate medical attention, Detective Robert Holmes said at the time.
An ambulance crew transported him to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized for several days.
Holmes said the victim sustained multiple injuries, primarily to his head and face, so severe that he requires continuing medical treatment, including several surgical procedures.
“I recently spoke with his family to see how he’s doing,” Holmes said. “They said he was in surgery for seven hours on Wednesday,”
Bell surrendered to authorities after police made their first arrest in the case on June 20 and booked 42-year-old Prentiss Charles Jackson, 1024 Josephine Drive, McComb, on charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
Both the motive and the exact number of people involved in the attack remain unclear. Initial reports indicated as many as a half-dozen men taking part in the assault.
However, Holmes said the investigation so far points to Jackson and Bell as the primary aggressors, though additional suspects may be identified later.
Bell remains in the Pike County jail with bond set at $175,000.
Jackson was released from the Pike County jail on June 23, after posting a $50,000 bond.
