2 students arrested for assault

Police arrested two IU students Sunday on felony charges after they broke into a Bloomington home and beat a resident and his guest with brass knuckles, police said.\nBlake A. Coots, 20, now faces preliminary charges of burglary, battery resulting in bodily injury, battery with a deadly weapon and residential entry, all felonies, and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor; Ryan L. Wood, 20, faces a preliminary charge of battery with a deadly weapon, a felony, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. David Drake.\nBoth men were being held in the Monroe County Jail Monday night. Coots was being held without bail, and Wood was being held on $10,000 bail. They are set to appear in court Friday.\nAccording to a probable cause affidavit, two men, ages 25 and 21, reported that Coots forced his way into the 21-year-old's residence at 401 E. 19th St. Saturday night while wearing a set of brass knuckles. Police said Wood, who was also wearing brass knuckles, entered the residence after Coots. Both Wood and Coots began to assault the two men with the brass knuckles, the affidavit said.\nMatt, who lives at 401 E. 19th St., and Mike, a guest at the house, said they and their neighbors on 19th Street had a party Saturday, and a fight started between men who did not live at either 19th Street house. Neither Matt nor Mike would give their last names. A group of men from the neighboring party attacked someone from Matt's party, and Matt went outside to break up the fight, Matt said.\nWhen Mike, who came to the party after the fight had started, tried to fight Wood, Wood hit him in the face with brass knuckles, Matt said.\nAfter the fight broke up, Coots broke into Matt's house and beat Mike, Matt said.\nThe 25-year-old man, who identified himself as Mike, was sent to the hospital because of the severity of his injuries, Drake said. The man received a broken nose and other broken bones in his face, damage to his eye, lacerations to his head and damage to his ear drum. He had to receive stitches as a result of the \nbeating, police said.\nMike said he still needs an MRI to determine the severity of his injuries from the assault.\nThe 21-year-old resident, who identified himself as Matt, appeared to have been punched in the ear and jaw and kicked while he was on the ground, Drake said.\nLater, Coots re-entered Matt's house, and one of Matt's roommates called the police, Matt said.