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Man on life support after brutal beating at Ogden park; suspect charged with assault

Posted at 3:38 PM, Nov 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-30 17:38:05-05

OGDEN, Utah — A man is on life support with a “grim prognosis” after a brutal beating in a park in Ogden last weekend, and while a suspect is behind bars, police are asking more witnesses to come forward.

According to the Ogden Police Department, police responded to Jefferson Park, 3300 Grant Ave., Saturday around 4:30 p.m. after someone called to report an assault.

A 57-year-old man was found unconscious at the scene, and he was taken to an area hospital. The victim remained on life support Wednesday, according to Ogden PD.

Police located Michael Gomez in the park, and police said the suspect was intoxicated and had blood on his hands and clothing when officers encountered him.

Witnesses positively identified Gomez as the assailant, saying they observed him grabbing the victim and slamming the victim’s head into the concrete repeatedly. The suspect allegedly continued kicking and punching the victim after he was on the ground, according to the witness statements.

Police said Gomez and the victim are both homeless and are both known to frequent a nearby shelter, but they said at this point it isn’t clear if the two men knew each other prior to the attack Saturday.

Gomez was booked into the Weber County Jail, and later he was formally charged with aggravated assault as a second-degree felony.

Ogden police stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday they believe there may have been more witnesses to the assault who left before police arrived, and they encourage anyone with information about the attack to call Major Crimes Det. Travis Kearl at 801-629-8029.