Bay News 9 obtained surveillance video that St. Petersburg police said captured a University of South Florida student being sucker-punched by another individual as St. Patrick’s Day festivities were winding down last month.

  • Punch thrown after men argued for several minutes
  • Mixed martial arts fighter charged with felony aggravated battery
  • USF student suffered "life-altering injury", hospital staff said

The video shows a group of men waiting in line at a hot dog stand in front of Detroit Liquors at 2:05 a.m. At that point, some women walk by and are pointed at by the men. Police said they were cat-calling the women.   

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainer Zachary Allen, 23, was in that group, along with four of his friends, according to police. USF student, Brian Neal, 26, was standing in line behind the group. One of Allen’s friends, Logan Bonfield, said Neal did not like the way the women were cat-called.

“[Neal] started, call it, busting their b---s in how they talked to the girls and they took offense to it,” Bonfield said. “So, they started busting his b---s back and that went back and forth for a few minutes. At one point, I just took a step back 'cause I just didn't want anything to do with it."  

The video shows Neal and the men arguing for about three minutes, but no pushing or shoving. Then, at 2:08 a.m., the man police identified as Allen, can be seen quickly turning around and punching Neal in the face, who falls back and hits his head on the sidewalk.

Bonfield said the punch was triggered by a derogatory remark Neal made about Allen’s girlfriend.

“From what I was told was [Neal] said behind him, ‘I bet your b---h is at home f---ing another guy.’ And so [Allen] retaliated with a punch,” said Bonfield. “Prior to that it had just been, ‘you’re too nice to girls, you’ve got to treat them more like hoes, you guys don’t get anything.’ Just like comments along those lines.”

One of Allen’s friends, Nicholas Leventis, told police that Zachary was mad after the punch was thrown and said, “there just some things you don’t say to a dude.”

After Neal gets knocked out, the video shows his friend, Ryan Nicol, punch Allen in the face once before getting pushed out of the group. Nicol stated he could not remember what Neal actually said to Allen, but did not think it was that bad and would not have taken offense to it, according to the report.

A witness told police Neal’s head made a loud sound when it hit the concrete and he began bleeding from his ears. Police said Neal was rushed into emergency surgery at Bayfront Health for a brain bleed.

Doctors removed a portion of Neal’s skull, along with damaged brain tissue. Hospital staff called his injuries "life altering."

The video shows Allen and his friends quickly leave the area after the punch. An officer briefly detained Allen, Bonfield and Rastko Jovanovic less than a block away, but the men played dumb and were allowed to leave, according to the report.

Photo: St. Petersburg Police Department

Allen turned himself in five days later, after police released surveillance video of the men at a bar in an effort to generate tips and identify the suspect. Police said Allen had a small mark on the left side of his eye.

Allen was arrested for felony aggravated battery and got out of the Pinellas jail on a $10,000 bond. We caught up with Allen at his Largo home, but he declined a request for an interview.

Neal’s father also declined our request for an interview, but said his son has been released from the hospital and is home recovering.

Allen has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for May 8.