Charges won't be brought in Livonia vet's beating

Prosecutor says Adam Wagner was 'aggressor' in April 3 incident outside 7-Eleven

WESTLAND, Mich. – Charges will not be brought against three people who were arrested on allegations they beat an Afghanistan war veteran outside a 7-Eleven in Westland.

Westland Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik on Tuesday said his department forwarded the facts of the case to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which in turn declined to issue charges.

In an interview with Local 4 last week, 25-year-old U.S. Army veteran Adam Wagner, of Livonia, said three men confronted him inside the store and followed him into the parking lot where they began mocking him after they noticed military insignias on his vehicle.

Wagner said he suffered a broken nose, cuts to his face and other head injuries.

But according to a statement from the prosecutor's office, Wagner was "the initial aggressor" and "at all times the aggressor."

Wagner said he is not pleased with this decision.

"I wouldn't have changed a thing," said Wagner. "I would've defended myself the same way."

Wagner was still all bruised up and swollen Tuesday night. He said he may have thrown a punch but it was only because he had three guys in his face ready to throw punches.

It all started inside a Westland 7-Eleven where Wagner went buy some things. He showed his military ID for cigarettes and then it started with three guys mouthing off. The fight was on -- three against one.

Wagner said he was defending himself but the prosecutor sees it differently.

Here is Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy's statement:

"The alleged facts in this case that are credible and supported by evidence in no way support a charge of any kind in this case. The complaining witness is a military veteran who was the initial aggressor in a fight with three men. The complainant was the largest man and he began the fight by striking the smallest of the three men. After being hit the smallest man fled the scene. A fight continued with the complainant and the other two men. This is where this whole scenario should have ended, since the two men fled the scene. The complainant then continued to pursue them for over a half mile on foot while the two men tried to hide from him. When the complainant found the men, he started the fight all over again. During the altercation the complainant sustained some injuries consistent with a fist fight, but was treated at a hospital and was released. Since the veteran was the initial and only aggressor, the actions of the other three men are not a crime and we are declining to issue any charges.

"You cannot in this state start a fight, and when others disengage, track the people down to continue the fight and then claim that you were the victim."

Wagner said he was only trying to keep tabs on them to identify them to police.

"The way that it's been labeled out as it's been released out, saying I was the initial aggressor kind of bends what really happened," said Wagner.

The three men who were in custody have been released.


Adam Wagner


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