Hunter
08/24/24
Two men from West Liberty face riot charges after an incident in downtown Iowa City Friday.
19-year-old Francisco Villegas and 21-year-old Bryan Martinez-Zavila, both of East 5th Street, were downtown on the 100 block of East Washington Street at approximately 1:50pm when they reportedly approached two males. The police report did not make clear which of the two got in front of one of the victims, squared up and then punched him multiple times in the face and head without warning.
The other suspect was recording the altercation and took the time to place his phone on the ground horizontally. The phone allegedly recorded one hitting one of the victims in the head and body while the other held him down.
The victims suffered multiple injuries to their heads, back, stomach, elbows and knees. One of the victims said he was unconscious for a moment, which could reportedly be seen on the video recording. His phone was allegedly broken when it fell to the ground.
Villegas and Martinez-Zavila allegedly spent the remainder of the night conversing with random people downtown talking about the fight.
The two men were taken into custody and charged with Participating in a Riot and Assault causing Bodily Injury. If convicted on both counts, Villegas and Martinez-Zavila could be sentenced to up to six years in prison.