Six days after reportedly attacking a group of young people on the Broad River in Madison County, a Carnesville man is in jail.
A report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution said Justin Matthew Bruce, 31, turned himself in to authorities at the Madison County Sheriff's Office on Friday morning after warrants were issued for his arrest on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery.
The newspaper reported Bruce verbally and physically assaulted a group of six people, four of them University of Georgia students, as they were exiting the river after a day of kayaking. The alleged incident occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9.
The sheriff's office incident report said Bruce first began to harass one of the men in the group about his long hair. A second student intervened and Bruce reportedly attacked both of them, leaving the student who intervened with a cut on his ear and a bump on the back of his head.
According to the newspaper, Bruce dragged a third student underwater and held him them for approximately 45 seconds. When a female in the group tried to strike Bruce with a paddle, he punched her and she fell into the river.
The students were able to get away and call 911 after Bruce reportedly threatened to go to his truck and retrieve a gun. He had left the scene by the time deputies arrived.
According to the Madison County Jail roster, Bruce remained in custody Friday afternoon.
