4 men found not guilty in violent fight that injured Mt. Greenwood Barraco's restaurant owner

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Cook County judge on Wednesday found four suburban men not guilty in a violent brawl outside a popular Southwest Side restaurant last summer, court records show.

Andrew Fedyk, Harry Kenny, Frank Paris and John Powers IV, who were 20 at the time of the incident, were acquitted of aggravated battery charges after a bench trial in April.

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They were accused of attacking several workers at Barraco's restaurant, in the 3000-block of West 111th Street in Mount Greenwood, on June 23, 2024.

Prosecutors said the men were asked to leave the restaurant after it was determined they were drinking underage before a fight ensued.

Restaurant owner Nick Barraco, who is in his 60s, suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed in the incident.

In court previously, the suspects' defense attorneys argued their clients were not the aggressors, revealing video to the judge that alleged Barraco's employees started the fight.

The judge handed down her ruling Wednesday in front of a packed courtroom.

The ruling relied heavily on video footage of the incident.

While defense attorneys for the accused praise the verdict, saying the case was overcharged, in court, supporters of Barraco's owner were disappointed.

Alderman Matt O'Shea of the 19th Ward said he saw the video.

"But, be no mistake about it, that night those four individuals, those men, orchestrated this entire thing," O'Shea said. "And they're the reason why Nick Barraco spent three-and-a-half days in the intensive care unit."

Several restaurant workers and an off-duty police officer were also injured in the case that sparked strong emotions in the neighborhood.

A vigil was held for Barraco after the incident.

So far, the Mount Greenwood community has had little to say about the acquittal.