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MASON CITY – Violence again reared its ugly head late Saturday night in the Cultural Crescent, when a man was knocked out behind a bar.
A Mason City man was discovered lying motionless behind a bar at the 200 block of South Federal Avenue around 11 PM. Two women were tugging on his arms urging him to “wake up” and “move”, but the man could only mumble. He was lying in blood, and his face was covered in streams of blood. His head flopped back and forth as they lurched him up and down. At least one large wound was seen on his face. Blood stains were seen in the gravel under him.
A call to 911 was made by a concerned citizen, who urged the women not to move the injured man. The women appeared agitated that a call to emergency authorities was made, and yelled at the citizen for calling. They urged the man to hurry and “get out” before “the cops” arrived. They got the man to his feet as blood dripped down his head and started to walk him away from he scene, when two large men approached from inside the nearby bar.
“What you want?” one of the men said to the injured man, who could barely stand and mumbled that he just wanted to walk home. The women then told the men that police had been called. The men appeared to be aggressive. The second man was very large. They both headed back for the bar and were not seen again. A large group of people continued to stand at the rear of the bar, outside, just a few dozen feet from where the man lay in the dust and rocks, bleeding.
As one of the women led the man away on Third Street, headed east, police, ambulance and fire trucks rolled onto the scene. A police officer stopped the man and woman. Soon, the pair was separated and officers attempted to determine what had happened. A fire truck blocked Third Street as police sorted out the situation.
Officers began to attempt to question bystanders, and went inside the bar. The injured man told police he didn’t want to talk about what happened. The woman who was with him said a man walked up and punched him out, in the alley. She left in a squad car, and the injured man left in an ambulance.
