Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy criticized U.S. Army veteran Adam Wagner of Livonia as the aggressor in a recent incident that made national news after Wagner said he was attacked by ruffians who insulted him for being a vet.
Worthy said Wagner instigated the fight at a Westland party store and then gave differing explanations for what took place.
Worthy's statement said:
"The complaining witness" -- Wagner -- "is a military veteran who was the initial aggressor in a fight with three men. The complainant was the largest man and he began the fight by striking the smallest of the three men. After being hit the smallest man fled the scene.
"A fight continued with the complainant and the other two men. This is where this whole scenario should have ended, since the two men fled the scene. The complainant then continued to pursue them for over a half mile on foot while the two men tried to hide from him.
"When the complainant found the men, he started the fight all over again. During the altercation the complainant sustained some injuries consistent with a fist fight, but was treated at a hospital and was released. Since the veteran was the initial and only aggressor, the actions of the other three men are not a crime and we are declining to issue any charges."
Three men were arrested and held, but released Monday.
On Friday, Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik told the Free Press the men followed Wagner outside the party store to the parking lot, where they noticed military insignias on the victim’s car and then began to make insulting remarks about him and the U.S. military. They began punching and kicking him.
The attackers ran off. The victim followed them while trying to call police, but the attackers beat him up once more, knocking him to the ground, punching and kicking him again, police told the paper.
“They beat the heck out of him,” Jedrusik said. “They beat him pretty bad.”
The suspects may have been “either intoxicated or just causing trouble,” the chief explained.
