While Halloween arrests on State Street were down this year, a number of fights involving people from out of town occurred downtown.
According to police reports, all incidents included young men from Wisconsin cities and one from Minnesota.
Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said fights among people from out of town often occur downtown, and none of the incidents indicated alcohol as a factor.
One incident occurred on the 600 block of State Street when two white males in their early 20s allegedly punched and kicked a 35-year-old Minneapolis man after he made comments about two women’s revealing costumes.
The victim said it’s possible the perpetrators were in a group with the two women, who allegedly started striking him after hearing the comments, according to the police report.
On Friday night, a 19-year-old man from Kenosha was the victim of a man swinging his arms violently at people passing by on the 400 block of North Frances Street.
The victim was allegedly punched in the back of the head and knocked to the pavement, where he landed on his face.
Damien D. Smith, 19, of Madison, was arrested and charged with substantial battery, resisting an officer and bail jumping. Two Wisconsin State Troopers were needed to complete the arrest.
Just prior to the incident on North Frances, a 19-year-old Milwaukee man was struck multiple times with a military-style green helmet after a man accused him of touching his girlfriend. No description of the perpetrator was reported.
Earlier Friday night, a man in his early 20s was found unconscious in a parking lot on the 1100 block of Mound Street. Two of his friends, one from Green Bay and one from Appleton, had various cuts and scrapes on their faces.
The two friends told police they were at a nearby house party and got into a dispute with another group of men, which eventually escalated into a fight in the parking lot.
According to the police report, the cause of the fight is unknown, but men at the scene said their unconscious friend may have said something to the other men.
The man was treated at a local hospital, and no description was given for the other group of men.
Apart from several other minor incidents, DeSpain said Halloween weekend went pretty well overall.
