WEST GORHAM STREET

Battery

A group on West Gorham Street attacked a 19-year-old man from Fitchburg early Sunday morning, according to a Madison Police Department report.

A group of three men allegedly approached the man and accused him of touching their car, witnesses reported, after which the men knocked the Fitchburg man to the ground and kicked him.

MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the man does not remember anything of the incident himself but that his friends heard someone ask about the car. The friends said the man did not touch anybody’s car.

After the incident, the three men got into a silver Toyota van and drove off with two college-age women who were also in the vehicle.

The man was taken to the hospital and treated for head injuries, DeSpain said. At this time, he said it is not clear whether the victim is a University of Wisconsin student.

WEST JOHNSON STREET

Battery

A 23-year-old Madison man was knocked unconscious after he was attacked in a parking lot on West Johnson Street early Saturday morning, a report said.

The report said a group in the parking lot appeared to be “trash-talking” another group in a red SUV. When someone got out of the vehicle, the man’s friend stepped between them to prevent a fight, and a person who got out of the car allegedly struck the man, DeSpain said.

The man’s friend said the man struck blows to the face of his attacker after the man hit him but was ultimately knocked out, the report said.

DeSpain said the man was apparently uninvolved in any dispute between the two groups. He was taken to hospital and treated for facial injuries.

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

Battery

A 19-year-old female sustained facial injuries after being punched in the Segredo nightclub on the 600 Block of University Avenue, according to a report from MPD.

DeSpain said the woman and witnesses to the incident were not forthcoming with information, but it appeared there had been a fight between the woman’s friend and another woman.

“There had been a fight between two women, one of whom the victim knows, and during the fracas, she was punched by a man,” he said.

DeSpain said detectives are looking to talk to the woman again to extract more details about the incident, hoping she is in a “more clear” state of mind.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Segredo has seen a decrease in violent incidences since it opened and that this is unexpected.

“I was disappointed to see that Segredo had a fight where a woman had her nose fractured,” he said. “I hope this is not a trend we will see in the future.”

NORTH FRANCES STREET

Theft

A 47-year-old Madison man had his backpack burglarized while panhandling on the 400 Block of Frances Street.

Two men reportedly approached the man and grabbed his backpack and took it with them, even after he explained it only held clothes and personal items, the report said.

“He was very distraught,” DeSpain said. “He was unable to provide us with a clear description of the people who took the backpack. We also look at video surveillance to help identify them.”

Verveer said the man was illegally panhandling outside the designated area near the 500 Block of State Street, and it does appear that he was ticketed.