Lang
10/30/22
Two men have been arrested for their alleged part in a vicious beating on the Ped Mall that left one man hospitalized.
Iowa City Police were called to the area in front of Brothers just after 10pm Saturday for an assault requiring emergency medical treatment. Investigators say 27-year-old Omar Barajas of Oakland, California and 23-year-old Carlos Garcia, address unknown, were involved in a fight with the alleged victim when they knocked him to the ground. The two men reportedly kicked the alleged victim while he was helpless on the ground, leading to serious injuries to the man’s jaw that required immediate treatment at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Barajas and Garcia are both charged with Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, a Class C felony punishable by a maximum of ten years in prison.
Barajas faces additional charges of Interference With Official Acts, Public Intoxication and Possession of a Controlled Substance after he was taken into custody just after 12:15 Sunday morning. He reportedly physically resisted officers’ attempts to handcuff him, and a small baggie of marijuana was reportedly found on his person. If convicted on the additional charges, Barajas faces a maximum of an additional 14 months in jail.