UK student charged with 1st-degree assault after bar fight left victim with brain bleed
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — A University of Kentucky student was arrested April 28 on a first-degree assault charge stemming from an April 10 attack at a Lexington bar that left the victim with a fractured skull, brain bleed, and possible traumatic brain injury, according to court documents.
20-year-old Hunter Hawthorne was taken into custody by the Lexington Police Department on a complaint warrant issued by Fayette District Court.
A second citation issued the same night charged Hawthorne with criminal possession of forged instruments in the second degree after investigators reportedly found nine fake identification cards in his bedroom during the execution of a search warrant.
According to a criminal complaint filed by a Lexington Police Department investigator, officers were called to UK Hospital on April 10 at around 6:30 a.m. in reference to an assault that had occurred earlier that date.
Officers met with the victim in the emergency department, where he was accompanied by his parents. The victim told officers that he was at a bar with friends when a male college student allegedly began a verbal altercation with one of his acquaintances.
The complaint added that the victim said he “attempted to diffuse the situation and calm the suspect down, and was subsequently punched in the face, rendering him unconscious and causing him to hit his head as he fell.”
He was taken to the hospital, where he received treatment for approximately a week, the complaint reported.
Investigators with the UK Police Department confirmed Hawthorne was a current student and provided identifying information. Using investigative resources, investigators confirmed Hawthorne as the suspect.
An investigator met with the owner of the bar, who provided security footage of the incident. According to the complaint, the footage shows a group of four college-aged males on the top floor of the bar. Two of the subjects appear to be accosting an unknown person across the bar.
The complaint read that the victim can be seen speaking with the suspect, who at some point shoves the victim before turning to address an unidentified individual across the room. The victim then places his hand on the suspect’s back, when Hawthorne allegedly punches him in the facial region, immediately knocking him to the ground.
According to the complaint, the victim was treated at UK Hospital for a severe concussion, possible traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull, and a brain bleed, and was set to continue receiving treatment for head injuries.
“Due to the suspect’s actions, I believe he wantonly created a grave risk of death by assaulting the victim, thus resulting in multiple significant brain injuries, which can commonly become fatal,” the complaint stated.
On the second citation, the complaint stated that during the execution of a search warrant at Hawthorne’s residence, investigators located nine identification cards with various names and pictures, all of which were confirmed to be false.
Hawthorne’s bail was set at $50,000, secured by Fayette County, with a condition of no contact with the alleged victim.
