The College junior allegedly hit a student and a U. Police officer in a drunken rage last month. and Maureen Tkacik At an arraignment yesterday, College junior Justin Majors pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment stemming from a bloody September 28 assault which injured a University Police officer and another student. The incident was the most serious of four alcohol-related attacks the weekend of September 27-28. Four of the assaults involved students, three of whom required medical attention. In the early hours of September 28, Majors and a student were fighting on the 3900 block of Spruce Street, according to police. During the altercation, the student fell backwards to the ground and opened a large gash in the back of his head after Majors allegedly punched him, according to a witness who requested anonymity. When a Penn police officer stepped in to break up the fight, Majors allegedly punched him as well. Majors faces two counts of each charge -- one for the alleged assault of the student, the other for his alleged assaulting of the University Police officer. The other student involved in the altercation -- whom police have not identified -- was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and received 20 stitches. While the officer was not seriously injured in the incident, Pennsylvania criminal codes mandate that any attack on a police officer be classified as an aggravated assault. After yesterday morning's arraignment in the Municipal Courthouse at 61st and Thomson streets, Municipal Court Judge Thomas McCormack set a hearing date for November 28 to determine the validity of the charges and decide whether the case should proceed to trial. If Majors is convicted of the felony aggravated assault charges or the misdemeanor simple assault charges, he may face prison time. Yesterday, Majors declined to comment on his case, stressing that "court proceedings are still going on." Majors' lawyer, Joel Trigiani, did not return repeated phone calls for comment. The incident is still being investigated by the Office of Student Conduct, according to Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush. In the aftermath of the weekend's alcohol-related incidents, University Police officials said they planned to focus more attention on the dangers of over-drinking.
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