SIOUX FALLS — Two men were arrested Thursday, March 16, after a witness called police when they saw a man being beaten under a bridge in downtown Sioux Falls.
Donovan Ashley and Ian Herrera, both 19, each face one count of aggravated assault causing bodily injury with indifference to human life, in connection with their arrest.
The arrests stem from 2:15 p.m. Thursday, when a witness called police to report that they were watching two men punching and kicking a third man under the Eighth Street bridge in downtown Sioux Falls.
When police arrived, the 34-year-old male victim was found lying unconscious on the sidewalk under the bridge with extensive injuries to his head. He was taken to a Sioux Falls hospital for treatment. Police said Friday morning the man remained in critical condition.
As officers remained on scene, the same witness placed a second call to 911, indicating that the suspects had returned to the area. Authorities found the men and placed them under arrest.
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Police spokesman Sam Clemens said Ashley and Herrera didn’t provide much information as to what led up to the assault. Authorities are waiting for the victim’s condition to improve to determine whether the suspects and the victim knew each other.
Both Ashley and Herrera are set to appear in a Minnehaha County courtroom on Friday for an initial appearance. If convicted of the Class 3 felony, each could be sentenced to serve as many as 15 years in prison and ordered to pay fines of up to $30,000.
Ashley is undergoing court proceedings in a separate case from September 2022, in which he’s facing charges of domestic assault and possession of alcohol by a minor.
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