Overview

• Judge Ursula Walowski found four suburban men not guilty of aggravated battery and robbery charges related to a June 2024 brawl outside Barraco’s Ristorante in Mount Greenwood.
• The altercation left restaurant owner Nick Barraco with a fractured skull and brain bleed, sparking community outrage and a vigil for the injured owner.
• Video evidence was deemed too unclear to establish specific culpability, with the judge noting multiple individuals were involved in physical altercations.
• Prosecutors argued the defendants initiated the violence and claimed a hat removal met the legal threshold for felony robbery, a claim the judge dismissed as overreaching.
• Defense attorneys countered that the restaurant staff and an off-duty officer escalated the conflict, asserting the case was overcharged and better suited for civil court.