Eighth suspect charged in viral Cincinnati street brawl has surprising involvement in case
The unidentified 45-year-old White man is charged with disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, for his alleged role in the July 26 melee in the city's downtown.
Advertisement
The man is also considered by police to be a victim of the brawl, which prevents authorities from releasing his name under Marsy's Law, which gives crime victims the option to have their names withheld from public release.
He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 26.
The fight broke out in the early morning hours on the corner of Fourth and Elm streets.
Footage of the brawl quickly went viral.
Advertisement
Last week, a seventh suspect, Gregory Wright, 32, was charged with alleged aggravated riot and aggravated robbery.
Police allege Wright 'did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants attempting to cause serious physical harm,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox 19.
4 A man sits on the ground after being attacked during the Downtown Cincinnati brawl on July 26, 2025.
X
4 A Cincinnati police officer stands on the sidewalk near the site of the brutal brawl.
FOX News
Advertisement
4 Holly, a female victim who was attacked in Cincinnati, shows off her injuries.
4 A woman lays on the street after being knocked out cold during the brawl.
Wright allegedly snatched the victim's necklace during the beating before proceeding 'to film the rest of the events,' the outlet reported.
Advertisement
Earlier this month, six defendants were indicted by a grand jury for their alleged roles in the beatdown.
Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Cincinnati police union rips arrest of White victim in viral street attack as political interference
The Cincinnati police union slammed a criminal case being brought against a victim in last month's viral beatdown over the man's alleged role in the violence. A 45-year-old White man was arrested earlier this week in connection to the assault in the city's downtown area, the Cincinnati Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital. Authorities have not named the suspect, who police said was a victim in the attack and therefore is protected under Marsy's Law, which prevents officials from releasing his identity. The victim's lawyer, Douglas Brannon, revealed his client was allegedly hit in the head 28 times and robbed during the attack, according to FOX 19. The man "is continuing to suffer from his injuries. He was brutally beaten in the attack, like many others were, and he's continuing his medical treatment," Brannon told the outlet. "Still kinda processing on how this victim-blaming has happened." Brannon reportedly pointed to his client acting in self-defense during the attack, while vowing to fight the charges. "It's very clear in all of the videos, except those edited for political purposes, that [he] was, in fact, acting in self-defense of himself and his friends," Brannon said. Brannon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The fight broke out on the corner of West Fourth and Elm streets in the early morning hours of July 26. Bystander footage of the assault shows a White man hitting a Black man wearing a red shirt in the face, moments before the scene devolved into chaos, ultimately leaving six people injured and quickly going viral online. The man is charged with disorderly conduct and has been ordered to appear in court on Aug. 26. He is the eighth person to be arrested for his alleged involvement in the beatdown. In light of the latest development, community leaders throughout Cincinnati have spoken out about the man's arrest – with some officials previously calling for the individual to be charged, as the first seven suspects are Black. "We have been clear about the fact that anyone involved in perpetrating violence should be held accountable," Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement, according to WLWT. "This is another step toward achieving that, and I want to thank CPD and the prosecutors for their hard work as this process continues." However, Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober ripped the arrest after previously accusing the Pureval administration of exerting pressure on law enforcement to find a crime to charge the victims with. "City Solicitor [Emily] Woerner and the Pureval administration's blatant political meddling is the most egregious I've witnessed in my career," Kober said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Overruling law enforcement and prosecutors for cheap political points is a disgraceful stain on our city, and those responsible should be utterly ashamed of themselves." Ohio state Rep. Cecil Thomas sounded off on the severity of the charges, after previously hosting a town hall to discuss the city's handling of the investigation. "The charge of Disorderly Conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, is a slap in the face to the Black Community," Thomas said in a statement to Fox News. "This only inflames the community even more. The proper charges for him should have been assault and aggravated rioting. However, if the city or prosecutor truly wanted to diffuse this situation and bring the temperature down, they should drop all aggravated rioting charges and reduce all felonious assault charges down to misdemeanor assault, except for the individual that struck the lady. Under no circumstance can I condone a man hitting a woman. Charge everyone, black or white accordingly and let the courts decide their fate. End of story." David Whitehead, president of the city's NAACP chapter, also reportedly reacted to the new charges. "The Cincinnati NAACP stands by and advocates for justice under the law," Whitehead said, according to WLWT. "We still question the fairness in charging based on the information we have seen and the conversations we have had. Street altercations typically result in disorderly conduct charges and there are at least five defendants being charged beyond that. We look forward to learning more about the cases and receiving the findings of the final investigation. In the meantime, we encourage everyone who believes in a fair judicial system to register to vote, because that's how jury pools are determined." Pureval and Whitehead did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital. Last week, authorities also announced the arrest of 32-year-old Gregory Wright. Wright was arraigned on alleged aggravated riot and aggravated robbery charges on Thursday morning, where he appeared virtually in the Hamilton County Jail. According to court documents, Wright, who is a convicted heroin trafficker with a lengthy criminal record, "did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants, attempting to cause serious physical harm." On Thursday, an Ohio judge lowered Wright's bond from $100,000 to $50,000, but he is only required to pay 10% – or $5,000 – to be released. Wright's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Idaho police chief reveals new details about Bryan Kohberger student murder investigation
The Idaho police chief whose department spearheaded the investigation that landed student murderer Bryan Kohberger behind bars for life is revealing new details about the case. Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger told Fox News' Paul Mauro that two traffic stops on Kohberger in Indiana during a cross-country trip with his dad came before his name had been discovered by investigators – calling earlier reports that the stops had been requested to gather information on the suspect "completely wrong." Kohberger left a Ka-Bar knife sheath at the crime scene on Nov. 13, 2022, which led the task force investigating the case to his identity on Dec. 19. He drove home with his dad days earlier, at risk of flunking out of his Ph.D. program at Washington State University, about 10 miles from the crime scene. "If we had had that information, he would not have been able to leave the area," Dahlinger said. Kohberger was living in a student apartment in Pullman, Washington. The victims were living across the state line at an off-campus rental next to the University of Idaho. Police arrested the killer at his parents' house in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains on Dec. 30. WATCH: Connection between Kohberger, murder victims remains unknown "We had lots of different leads, and we tracked down each and every one of them," Dahlinger said. "It was painstaking, and you know until we got to the end of this, I can't remember exactly how many people that we looked at – but we did hundreds of interviews with so many different people." The sheath proved crucial in the case. None of the victims had Kohberger's DNA under their fingernails, likely because the criminology and criminal justice Ph.D. student wore protective gear. Still, Dahlinger said detectives were confident they could have found him without the sheath because they had identified a suspect vehicle, although it would have taken longer. There were no signs Kohberger worked with an accomplice, Dahlinger said. Police have had no luck searching for the murder weapon. Police believe he used only one knife to kill all four victims. "We looked at every angle, but we live in North Idaho," he said. "It's a rural area, and a Ka-Bar knife is a relatively small item, so it's endless where that could be." Police did find Kohberger with a gun when they arrested him at his parents' house, although he didn't use it in the student murders. He initially spoke with Pennsylvania police, but clammed up and demanded a lawyer when he realized there were Idaho detectives present, Dahlinger said. Dahlinger also revealed it was the defense that asked for the plea deal. WATCH: Idaho police chief details Kohberger's 'abnormal behavior' after college murders "I was in the room when Bill Thompson gave us that information that they had reached out, the defense had reached out asking if they would be willing to entertain that idea," he said, referring to the lead prosecutor on the case. "And it was very quick." He said it caught investigators by surprise, but they were all attuned to how the criminal justice system works. "Just to dispel the whole plea thing as well, because I know every time somebody hears 'plea deal,' right, the whole word 'deal' makes everybody feel like they're getting off. The suspect's getting off somehow. They're not getting their full extent," he said. "Now, the only thing that went off the table on this was the death penalty." The death penalty was never a lock. Jurors would have had to approve it unanimously after convicting him at trial. Under the deal, Kohberger will die in prison. And he waived his rights to appeal and to seek a sentence reduction. Idaho Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive terms of life in prison, plus another 10 years, for the four counts of first-degree murder and a single felony burglary charge he faced.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Hecklers confront Vance, Hegseth during visit to thank National Guard troops in DC
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson reports the latest on the Trump admin's D.C. crime crackdown. 'Will Cain Country' host Will Cain also joins 'America's Newsroom' to discuss the latest on the effort to curb violence in the nation's capital and more.
