Shocking footage captured a woman getting knocked out cold with a punch to the face during a violent brawl on a Cincinnati street — and police have vowed to track down the “violent thugs” seen in the viral clip.
The fight broke out in the heart of downtown Cincinnati on Friday night, with a white man and a woman appearing to be relentlessly targeted by a group of largely black assailants.
It remains unclear what sparked it — but witnesses told WXIX that one of the groups made racial comments before the blows started, though it is also unclear who the initial aggressors were.
In the clip, a man in a white t-shirt is chased to the street and shoved to the sidewalk by two other men who proceed to punch and kick him once he’s down.
Others from a jeering crowd — men and women alike — rush in and stomp on the man’s head and torso, with one even body-slamming him, the video shows.
After trying in vain to defend himself, the man is seen staggering to his feet with a bloodied face when a woman rushes to help him.
But she runs afoul of the crowd when she tries to hold back one of the attackers — and is promptly socked in the face twice, sending her tumbling to the ground with her her head cracking on the pavement.
Her body goes instantly limp, and blood begins to trickle from the side of her mouth as the crowd jeers on and the video cuts out.
The names and conditions of the people remain unclear.
Witnesses said the man at the center of the fight interacted with the attackers about 15 minutes earlier, and that he’d left before coming back.
Police are working to identify everybody seen in the clip.
“I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen. The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa Theetge in a statement Saturday.
Local law enforcement advocates characterized the incident as an outrageous display of lawlessness.
“The violence this video shows downtown is disgusting,” Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober told WLWT5. “What’s equally disgusting is those who chose to watch and record instead of calling 911, attempting to defuse the situation or render aid.
“I have full faith in the Central Business Section Investigators they will make arrests in the near future. It will then be the responsibility of the court system to hold these violent thugs accountable,” he added.
