Man arrested after attacking 24-year-old with wheel brace

Police have arrested a 30-year-old man suspected of seriously injuring a 24-year-old during a confrontation involving about 20 people in Vienna’s Favoriten district, ORF reported.

The dispute began at about 3:45 a.m. on Sunday in Rotenhofgasse. Police said the cause was unclear. During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly went to a parked car, took a wheel brace from the boot and struck the 24-year-old, who is stateless, on the head.

The victim lost consciousness and fell onto the pavement, according to police. Witnesses alerted the authorities. Officers from the Van-der-Nüll-Gasse police station later found and arrested the suspect in a parked car near the scene based on information provided by witnesses.

Vienna’s emergency medical service treated the injured man and took him to a hospital’s trauma unit with suspected skull fractures. He underwent surgery. The 30-year-old Austrian refused to give a statement. Investigators are examining the motive.