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OGDEN — A brutal attack at an Ogden park resulted in the victim being put on life support, according to criminal charges filed this week.
Michael Jason Gomez, 42, of Ogden, was charged Tuesday in 2nd District Court with aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
Gomez got into an argument Saturday with a man near a barbecue pit at Jefferson Park, 3330 S. Grant Ave., and then began attacking him, court documents say.
"Gomez (grabbed) the victim in the head and (slammed) his head into the concrete over and over again," charges state. "(A) witness saw (Gomez) punching and kicking the victim … in (the) head over and over again, while the victim lay helplessly on the ground."
The 57-year-old man was transported in critical condition to McKay-Dee Hospital.
"The victim is currently on life support … with a grim prognosis," the charges state.
Ogden Police Lt. Brian Eynon said the man had a "pretty significant head injury" that included a laceration on the back of his head and facial fractures. Eynon hadn't heard an update on the man's condition since the weekend.
Police are still determining what the men were fighting about, according to the lieutenant, but investigators believe they know each other. Witnesses reported that both men were "pretty intoxicated," he said.
Officers located Gomez near where the attack occurred, and he "had blood on his hands, shoes and clothing," court documents say. Witnesses identified him as the perpetrator, according to charges.
Gomez was arrested and booked into the Weber County Jail, where he remained Thursday. Court documents indicate a hearing in his case was held Thursday. His next court date has not been scheduled.
Gomez has no prior criminal history in Utah, according to a search of court records.
