Father receives long prison sentence for hitting victim in the head eight times with a hammer

WILLIAMSPORT — A man caught on video hitting another man in the head eight times with a hammer on a Williamsport street has been sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

Kareem Anthony Hutt, 44, of Philadelphia, was convicted in August of aggravated assault and other charges but acquitted of attempted murder.

A video showed Hutt running after and striking Bernard Daniels after he fell to the sidewalk in the 700 block of West Fourth Street at approximately 5:35 p.m. on February 6, 2021.

Hutt, a mechanic, testified during his jury trial that he used a hammer with a plastic head, thought he had hit Daniels only once and had no intention of hurting or killing him.

Lycoming County Judge William P. Carlucci referred to the video in sentencing Hutt on Tuesday, saying it appeared he was trying to prevent violence, but he had changed and become an instigator.

The video played multiple times during the trial showed:

Daniels is standing on the sidewalk as Hutt and his wife, Nikita Valencia, pull up.

The couple briefly disappears into the entrance of a residential building and emerges with a shopping cart full of toys and other items.

As they make it to their car, Valencia and Daniels get into a verbal argument. There were statements that Daniels had dated her in the past.

Hutt steps between them as the confrontation escalates, and at one point he is seen pulling away his wife, who he says is pregnant.

Daniels takes off his coat and walks closer, but then runs away as Hutt retrieves the hammer from the trunk of his car, which he uses for body work.

He runs after Daniels, who has fallen, and then the attack occurs. As his wife approaches them, Hutt returns, the two get in their car and drive off, leaving Daniels lying on the sidewalk.

Hutt testified he tried to act as a peacemaker and Daniels made threatening comments to him and his wife.

Daniels testified at trial that he did not remember suffering a head injury or going to the hospital. He said he didn’t want to testify because he couldn’t remember things and couldn’t read or write.

In addition to aggravated assault, Hutt was found guilty of criminal possession and recklessly endangering another person.

Hutt, who received a sentence of 521 days, has a criminal record in Delaware County and New Jersey.