A UF student was put into the Gainesville Police Department’s custody Thursday evening on suspicion of punching a passerby until unconscious.
Marco Anthony Schiano, 20, was outside White Buffalo nightclub late around 12:30 a.m. Monday when he and another attacked a stranger, according to his arrest report.
A man interrupted to stop the fight before Schiano punched him while others around Schiano punched and kicked the man also. Soon after, a group of men got out of a nearby car and helped Schiano attack the man and his friend, according to the report.
The man was knocked unconscious, which caused all attackers except Schiano to run.
Schiano tried to kick the man again, but a nearby woman didn’t let him. She heard Schiano say “I’m going to kill him,” according to the report.
The man suffered a broken nose, separated jaw, split bottom lip and other facial injuries, requiring five metal plates in his face.
When law enforcement asked Schiano what happened, he said he knocked the man out and continued to punch him two to three times after, according to the report.
Schiano said he saw the man hit his brother and was “worked up” so he approached the man and was restrained. He also said he heard stories about the man attacking his fraternity brothers, according to the report.
Video obtained by officers later showed Schiano only stopped his punches when friends pulled him away. He approached the man again after he got up and grabbed his face. He was restrained by his friends after, according to the report.
Schiano was charged with felony battery and was taken to the Alachua County Jail. His bond is set at $10,000.
As of Friday afternoon, his next hearing isn’t yet scheduled.
Contact Aidan Bush at abush@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @aidandisto.
Aidan Bush is a third-year journalism major and the Spring 2024 Engagement Managing Editor of The Alligator. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and go kayaking.
