Judge Sentences Man To Life For Hammer Attack At Outlet Mall

LEESBURG, VA — A Loudoun County judge sentenced a man to life in prison for a 2015 hammer attack that left an employee of the Polo Ralph Lauren store at the Leesburg Premium Outlets paralyzed. Earlier this year, 28-year-old Bradford Cellucci entered an Alford plea to the charge of aggravated malicious wounding stemming from the 2015 hammer attack.

Under the plea, Cellucci did not admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors have enough evidence against him to secure a conviction. He faced a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

In the summer of 2015, Leesburg police officers were dispatched to the Polo Ralph Lauren store after receiving a call about an assault on an employee. The employee, then-18-year-old Bryan Pedroza, was assisting Cellucci with a clothing purchase and was escorting him to a fitting room.

Cellucci struck Pedroza in the neck with the claw end of a hammer, causing puncture wounds, according to the Leesburg Police Department. After striking the Pedroza, Cellucci fled the store, leaving the hammer behind.

Pedroza was paralyzed from the mid-torso down as a result of the attack. He also suffers from limited use of his arms and hands.

According to case documents, Pedroza and Cellucci dated the same girl. Pedroza’s relationship with the girl began in 2013 and ended in 2014. Cellucci began dating her in 2015. She told Cellucci that Pedroza had sexually assaulted her, prompting the attack, according to the documents.

Cellucci fled the Northern Virginia area during the investigation. Officers recovered the hammer and ultimately linked Cellucci to the incident with DNA and video evidence, according to the police.

Cellucci was found in Tyler, Texas, in 2018 where he had been working and living with his wife and daughter since he left Leesburg. After his arrest, the judge denied the defense's proposal that Cellucci be released on bond and either be allowed to return home to Texas or stay with his father who lived in South Riding.