2008 Woodie Awards
Raider Claims Self-Defense in Dorm Fight
Fernando Vazquez
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
One of the students charged in connection to the major brawl outside Woodward Hall on Oct. 28 at 2 a.m. that led to the arrest of six R-N students, said he was only acting in self-defense.
Thomas Dougherty, 20, a member of the R-N baseball team, said that the six students were at Iota Kappa Phi that night and already had several drinks in them upon returning to the dorms.
Several students on the opposite side of the lawn in front of Woodward were yelling when they arrived and Dougherty went over to see what was going on, he said.
A verbal argument broke out between the students who were yelling, Dougherty, and his friends Clancy Doyle, 19, and Lawrence Townes, 19, who were also at the frat party.
The reasons for the argument are unknown as Dougherty claims his memory is somewhat hazy.
In the middle of the argument Dougherty "told one of them to shut up...among other things" and the soon-to-be-victim rushed him.
Dougherty subsequently punched him in the face in an act of self-defense and the victim went down.
After he hit the ground, Dougherty went inside and yelled at Doyle and Townes, who were already beating up the other victim, to stop and to get inside also.
After the fight, two friends of the victims reported to the police that their two friends had been beaten up by several students and the Rutgers police began investigating the situation by question witnesses.
The police were at Woodward on the following Monday morning to interrogate the three students who were involved in the fight.
Michael Chiarella, 18, one of the six students arrested, said that he, Brain Gill, 19, and another baseball player, Michael Dimattia, 19, "didn't have anything to do with the fight" and were in their rooms sleeping the night off while the altercation ensued below.
Through the interrogation, the police discovered that Chiarella, Gill, and Dimattia were involved in the previous night's events because they provided alcohol to minors and had been drinking themselves.
Chiarella and Dimattia were charged with providing alcohol to minors because Chiarella drove his car to the liquor store and Dimattia provided the fake I.D. to purchase the alcohol.
Dimattia was also charged with possession of a fake I.D. Townes and Doyle were charged with aggravated assault and Dougherty was charged with simple assault.
All were charged with underage drinking. All of their court dates are pending.
Dougherty wishes to apologize to the victims of that night as the events that took place "got way out of hand."
Thomas Dougherty, 20, a member of the R-N baseball team, said that the six students were at Iota Kappa Phi that night and already had several drinks in them upon returning to the dorms.
Several students on the opposite side of the lawn in front of Woodward were yelling when they arrived and Dougherty went over to see what was going on, he said.
A verbal argument broke out between the students who were yelling, Dougherty, and his friends Clancy Doyle, 19, and Lawrence Townes, 19, who were also at the frat party.
The reasons for the argument are unknown as Dougherty claims his memory is somewhat hazy.
In the middle of the argument Dougherty "told one of them to shut up...among other things" and the soon-to-be-victim rushed him.
Dougherty subsequently punched him in the face in an act of self-defense and the victim went down.
After he hit the ground, Dougherty went inside and yelled at Doyle and Townes, who were already beating up the other victim, to stop and to get inside also.
After the fight, two friends of the victims reported to the police that their two friends had been beaten up by several students and the Rutgers police began investigating the situation by question witnesses.
The police were at Woodward on the following Monday morning to interrogate the three students who were involved in the fight.
Michael Chiarella, 18, one of the six students arrested, said that he, Brain Gill, 19, and another baseball player, Michael Dimattia, 19, "didn't have anything to do with the fight" and were in their rooms sleeping the night off while the altercation ensued below.
Through the interrogation, the police discovered that Chiarella, Gill, and Dimattia were involved in the previous night's events because they provided alcohol to minors and had been drinking themselves.
Chiarella and Dimattia were charged with providing alcohol to minors because Chiarella drove his car to the liquor store and Dimattia provided the fake I.D. to purchase the alcohol.
Dimattia was also charged with possession of a fake I.D. Townes and Doyle were charged with aggravated assault and Dougherty was charged with simple assault.
All were charged with underage drinking. All of their court dates are pending.
Dougherty wishes to apologize to the victims of that night as the events that took place "got way out of hand."