Men Admit Beating Up Rep. Studds

WASHINGTON —  Two suburban men said Friday they were so drunk on a recent night out that they couldn’t find their parked car and decided, for no reason, to beat up a pedestrian: Rep. Gerry E. Studds (D-Mass.).

James L. Byrne and Thomas E. Carter Jr., both 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a misdemeanor charge of assault on a member of Congress stemming from the June 7 beating. The attack took place shortly after midnight as Studds was walking home alone from a dinner party at a friend’s house.

“We were pretty intoxicated. We were looking for the car. I guess we were pretty frustrated,” Carter told Magistrate Patrick Attridge. “I took the first swing. Jimmy (Byrne) followed after that.”

Studds was punched in the face, knocked to the ground and kicked, according to prosecutors and witnesses. He suffered bruises and lacerations to the face and body but was not hospitalized.