(Updated 1:45 p.m. on 12/23/21) A prank turned violent in the Lyon Village neighborhood on Saturday (March 23) when a man reportedly was beaten for drawing a penis on his roommate’s face.
The alleged incident happened on the 3100 block of 17th Street N. According to Arlington County Police, 31-year-old James [redacted] fell asleep on his couch after a night of drinking. He woke up around 5:30 a.m. and became furious when he discovered the permanent marker drawings on his face, police said.
Police say that [redacted], suspecting his roommate, ran upstairs to where the roommate was sleeping and jumped on top of him, repeatedly punching him in the face. The commotion awakened a third roommate, who managed to separate the two.
The victim reportedly waited about an hour and a half to call the police while deciding whether or not to press charges. He did end up calling for help and police charged [redacted] with malicious wounding. The injured man’s eye was swollen shut and bleeding, so the third roommate drove him to the hospital for treatment, according to police.
Cops say the roommates admitted they sometimes play pranks on each other while intoxicated.