Asian US Navy veteran knocked out in LA Koreatown attack to press charges if assailant is caught
By Carl Samson
An Asian U.S. Navy veteran who lost consciousness after being sucker-punched in Los Angeles’ Koreatown on Tuesday will press charges if his assailant is caught, NextShark has learned.
The 32-year-old victim, who asked to be identified as Leo, was playing on his phone while waiting for a bus near a Chipotle in Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue at around 1:45 p.m. when “this Black man with anger issues sucker-punched me,” he recalled in an Instagram post.
Security footage seen by NextShark shows the moment the assailant struck Leo, who quickly hit the ground on his back. A bystander is seen intervening and helping him get up.
“I fell on the back of my head which knocked me unconscious,” Leo wrote. “I would have fought back with my heart and soul.”
Leo sustained scrapes on his face and shoulder, as well as a large contusion on the back of his head. Paramedics arrived minutes later and took him to the emergency room.
Leo told NextShark that he had no memory of the incident until he obtained the footage from the front desk of the nearby apartment. It was the first time he has been knocked unconscious.
Despite his unfortunate experience, Leo, who is Taiwanese American, says people should not be consumed by anger.
“I know the footage of the video is abhorrent and uncalled for from the assailant, but don’t let anger consume us,” he told NextShark. “We can be strong, vigilant and mindful, but don’t let resentment take up any more of your time and space.
“I am safe and if I was anymore tensive, I would not have recovered as fast as I did from the cowardly knockdown.”
Featured Image: Handout for NextShark
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