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Witness Claims Williamsburg Bar Bouncer Put A Man In Critical Condition


By

Nathan Tempey

Published Jun 15, 2015

Modified Jun 15, 2015


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Nell Casey/Gothamist

 


By

Nathan Tempey

Published Jun 15, 2015

Modified Jun 15, 2015


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The man in critical condition following an altercation at the Charleston in Williamsburg on Saturday night was punched unconscious by a bouncer, according to a bystander. The witness, Joe, asked that his last name not be used because of professional concerns. He was walking to the subway around 11:45 p.m. when, he recalled, "I was in the process of texting my wife what a shitshow Bedford was and I heard this commotion." Joe said he saw a man in a black "Security" shirt yelling at another man, and that as he looked down momentarily, he "heard a smack that sounded like a branch break."

He described seeing this when he looked back:

"The security guy was standing over the other guy who was now face down in the street. The security guard kept yelling out, 'I put you to sleep! I put you to sleep! Don't get up, I put you to sleep!'"

Two other men in black shirts grabbed the unconscious man and dragged him back to the curb, still face-down, Joe said. He took the altercation as his cue to get out of there. Police do not report finding the 32-year-old victim, who they describe as suffering severe head trauma, until 1:30 am, and say he was inside the bar, but based on the available information, the knockout Joe saw appears related. A police spokesman said the victim "was getting into physical altercations inside and outside of the bar," and that no arrests have yet been made. Joe said there was no question the man he saw get punched was seriously injured.

"He was out cold. He was not moving," he said. "It's not like, 'Oh he's woozy.' 'Oh, they rang his bell.' He was not responding."

He said he spoke to a detective who told him, "I'll pass this on to the lead detective and if he wants to hear your story he'll get in touch."

A woman who answered the phone at the Charleston said, "No comment, I'm sorry," and hung up before this reporter could say what he was calling about.

Tagged

94th Precinct

bedford avenue

bouncer

critical condition

fight

investigation

knockout

nypd

shitshow

the Charleston

williamsburg

original


Nathan Tempey

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