EAST VILLAGE – A bar patron was knocked unconscious by an unknown assailant at B Bar and Grill the night of Nov. 23, police said.
The 29-year-old victim was at the watering hole at 40 E. Fourth St. when a stranger approached him at around 11 p.m. and punched him in the head, knocking him unconscious, according to authorities.
The victim refused to call the police or emergency medical responders the night of the incident, but went to a hospital the next morning for treatment and filed a report with police, authorities said.
The victim reportedly told NBC New York that he believed the attack may have been part of a gang initiation and that he was targeted because he is gay.
Police could not confirm whether the incident was being investigated as a hate crime.
A manager of B Bar and Grill could not immediately be reached for comment.