This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Police arrested a man who apparently punched another man in the head, fracturing his skull, at a University of Utah tailgate party last weekend.
The victim was waiting in line for the portable restrooms at the northern end of the campus tailgate lot, near 500 South and 1600 East, about 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 8, said U. police Sgt. Garth Smith. At least two men approached him and attempted to cut in line before the Arizona vs. Utah game. The victim told them to go to the back of the line.
When he came out of the bathroom, one of the men "blindsided him and knocked him out," Smith said, with a punch to the back of his head.
The man, in his late 20s, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. He suffered a cracked skull and internal bleeding around his brain, said Ryan Lufkin, a friend of the victim's father, and spent five days in the hospital.
"It was quite bad," Lufkin said, adding: "It wasn't a fair fight. He was ambushed."
The man is expected to recover, though hospital staff initially feared serious permanent injury or death.
Lufkin posted about the assault on Facebook and Twitter to get information from witnesses who may have seen the attack. Within half an hour, he said, they had a pretty good idea who punched him. Police later located the purported perpetrator, a 23-year-old man, Friday and booked him in Salt Lake County jail on aggravated assault, though he has not been charged.
Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner