Student athlete charged with battery on Marquette University officer

MU student charged with battery on MU officer

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- 20-year-old Charley Gargano, a student athlete at Marquette University, is now charged with substantial battery with intent to cause bodily harm. He's alleged to have struck a Marquette University Public Safety Officer.

According to the Marquette University website, Gargano is a sophomore and a member of the Marquette University men's lacrosse team.

Charley Gargano

According to the criminal complaint filed in this case, Gargano told police on the evening of Saturday, September 15th, he attended a music concert with his friends. He "voluntarily ingested the hallucinogen, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), on four separate occasions." Gargano told investigators he has "little recollection of what occurred after that point, and he has no memory of committing a battery."

According to the Marquette Public Safety Officers involved in this case, Gargano was acting "bizarrely and his speech was incoherent" late on Saturday. One officer called for backup when she noticed Gargano having a verbal argument with another person near 10th and Wisconsin Ave.

The complaint indicates when the backup officer arrived on the scene, the "safety officers ordered Gargano to the ground, and he initially complied." But moments later, the complaint says Gargano charged at one of the officers and "struck her in the face twice with a closed right fist. The force of Gargano's punches knocked (the officer) backwards into a concrete planter."

The complaint says because Gargano was intoxicated and in an agitated state, the Milwaukee Fire Department had to sedate him. He was then taken into custody.

Marquette University officials issued this statement, “In a situation where a student violates university policy, a student conduct process is initiated. In serious cases involving student-athletes, the student will not be allowed to participate in athletic and team activities indefinitely, pending the outcome of the university process.”

If convicted, Gargano faces up to three-and-a-half years in prison and $10,000 in fines. He's expected to make his initial appearance in a Milwaukee County courtroom on Friday, September 20th.

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