A 21-year-old man remained hospitalized Thursday evening after suffering serious head injuries during a fight under the Sorlie Bridge in East Grand Forks.
"Alcohol is definitely an issue in this one," said Lt. Rodney Hajicek of the East Grand Forks Police Department.
Hajicek said officers were dispatched at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday to the scene beneath the bridge that spans the Red River and links East Grand Forks with Grand Forks.
Police determined that the victim had been beaten by a 36-year-old man. That man was arrested and is expected to make a court appearance in Crookston Friday on a "fairly significant" assault charge, Hajicek said.
Hajicek did not release the victim's name because his family had not yet been notified, nor did the detective name the suspect in custody because he had not been charged.
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The two men were part of a group of six transients who came to the area to work in the beet harvest, authorities said.
In handling the incident, the East Grand Forks department requested help from police in Grand Forks. One of the Grand Forks officers who responded arrived to find the victim unconscious with blood on his face, while a woman nearby was "yelling hysterically" and two opened 1.75-liter bottles of alcohol were spotted, the officer's report says.
Paramedics treated the victim at the scene before he was taken to Altru Hospital. A nursing supervisor there said she could not release information about his condition, but confirmed that he was a patient.
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
