Madison Police arrested two suspects in connection with a beating outside a downtown bar early Sunday that left a 27-year-old man with a life-threatening head injury.
Roynell Fuller, 19, and Ross Spang, 22, both of Madison, were arrested on tentative charges of substantial battery after a bar fight at the Crave Restaurant and Lounge, 201 W. Gorham St., ended with the victim being knocked unconscious on a nearby street.
A local paper from the victim's hometown identified him as Eduardo Cademartori, a well-known race-car mechanic from Florida. According to the DeLand-Deltona Beacon, Cademartori had been in Madison for a week to train with his teammates.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said Cademartori sustained serious head injuries in the attack and remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
By a miracle, the victim is hanging on by a thread,"" Verveer said, noting Cademartori's prognosis as ""bleak"" and that the suspects could face more serious charges if Cademartori dies from his injuries.
Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain said Spang is an employee at the Crave, where the fight initially broke out before moving outside to the intersection of Johnson and State Street.
""There was some type of dispute between the victim and the Crave employee and then the Crave employee follows the victim up the street and brings with him two other people,"" DeSpain said, adding that police are still searching for the third suspect.
As police continue their investigation, Verveer said city officials are seeking to review operations at the Crave the night of the beating. According to Verveer, Sunday's attack was not the first time police have been called to the establishment. He said officials will now examine if there was adequate staffing at the Crave ""to ensure that management did everything they could have"" to prevent violence.
