Students in jail, hospital after fight

Junior John Burrello's jaw will be wired shut for the next six weeks. His best friend since elementary school, junior Graham Goy, opened his eyes Monday morning at Bloomington Hospital for the first time since Friday. He remains in critical condition in a coma, according to the hospital.\nAll this came after a fight at about 3 a.m. Friday outside of LaBamba Mexican Restaurant, 520 E. Kirkwood Ave., where Burrello and Goy were eating. \nBurrello's father, John, speaking on behalf of the pair, said the two left the restaurant and entered into a confrontation with junior Anthony Barbera, 21, and an unidentified man not mentioned in the police report. Burrello said his son was punched in the face several times.\nHe said his son went to the bathroom to wipe the blood from his face and returned to find Goy lying on the concrete two stories below in a pool of blood, surrounded by police officers and paramedics.\nConflicting stories about the evening's events have led the Burrellos to hire a lawyer and file a civil suit.\nBarbera faces a preliminary charge of battery, a class C felony. Burrello faces preliminary charges of illegal consumption, disorderly conduct and false informing, said Officer William Jeffers, who arrived on the scene at 3:08 a.m. Friday.\nBoth Burrello's parents and his roommate at Alpha Tau Omega, junior Bryan Stone, said he did not flee the scene as had been reported but was instead told to leave the scene by a police officer.\nBurrello later decided to go to the hospital to check on the status of his friend and talk to police, they said. His father said Burrello was upset about his friend and angry with how the police were treating him. \nDuring his visit, police arrested Burrello and brought him to the Monroe County Jail. He was released the following day on his own recognizance, according to police.\nHis father said Burrello was never given an opportunity to give a statement. But Jeffers, who arrested Burrello at the hospital, said he asked him at the scene if he was involved. Jeffers said Burrello responded that he wasn't involved in the fight. \nJeffers also said when Burrello arrived at the hospital to talk to police, he raised his voice, apparently upset that the officer was accusatory. After failing to lower his voice and disturbing several people in the waiting area, he was arrested by Jeffers.\n"We were giving him a chance to talk," Jeffers said. "He just went off right from the start about us accusing him. We tried to calm him down and then he continued to be aggressive and disturbing several other people. Things progressed quickly and he wasn't very cooperative." \nBurrello, speaking for a son who now temporarily lacks such an ability, said the entire family is in shock.\n"The police were telling my son that Graham might not make it; he just wanted to tell his side of the story," he said. "My son was told to leave the scene, but the police denied that and started laughing. So my son lost his temper. They cuffed him and threw him in the drunk tank. He never gave a statement."\nStone, who accompanied Burrello to the hospital and is also Goy's friend, said he thought the police were insensitive to the situation.\n"They never really seemed to care what John's (medical) condition was," he said. "They never asked him if he needed attention. He was frustrated and they didn't seem to care about that. John's frustrations were building and eventually they took him into custody."\nBurrello decided not to return to his suburban Chicago town with his parents so he could stay with his friend. His father said he would be better off at home, but that his decision to stay is a testament to his character.\nBarbera was not available for comment at press time. He was released from the Monroe County Jail on bond.