State Police: Lawyer was targeted in home invasion

The Chester County home of bankruptcy attorney Fred Barakat, who was non-fatally shot when a trio of men broke into house Monday night.
The Chester County home of bankruptcy attorney Fred Barakat, who was non-fatally shot when a trio of men broke into house Monday night. (MICHAEL BRYANT / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
BY MORGAN ZALOT, Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: September 26, 2012

STATE POLICE on Tuesday were still working to determine why a prominent Chester County attorney was targeted in a violent home invasion Monday night.

Fred Barakat, 63, a well-known bankruptcy lawyer with offices in Chester County and Wilmington, was shot during a home invasion shortly after 6 p.m. at his secluded house on Hillendale Road in Pennsbury Township. Police said three men - two wearing masks - burst into Barakat's home, and a struggle ensued before he was shot.

He was taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries. State Police said they believe that Barakat was targeted but were not yet sure why.

The attacker who was not wearing a mask was described by police as a 6-foot white man between 30 and 40 with short blond hair. The trio fled in a cream-colored or white Mitsubishi Diamante.

Investigators speculated that since two of the men wore masks, they may have known Barakat. Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said investigators are looking for possible connections between the victim and perpetrators.

"This is a team of guys working together," Hogan told the Daily Local News. "Whenever there is a group of guys working together, we look for the weak link. One of them will be on probation, one of them will have a criminal record, and we will find them."

Contact Morgan Zalot at zalotm@phillynews.com or 215-854-5928. Follow her on Twitter @morganzalot. Read her blog at PhillyConfidential.com.

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