Madison police are advising area residents to be careful on the streets after a downtown battery left a man unconscious over the weekend.

Two men from Evansville visiting the downtown area for the night were punched around 3:20 a.m. Sunday after a dispute, an incident report from the Madison Police Department said.

The men were walking near the corner of State and Gilman streets when a group walking in the opposite direction spat on the group, the report said. The Evansville men then asked for an apology, to which the perpetrators responded by punching one of them in the head.

MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said MPD was called to the scene expecting an unconscious man, but the victim had recovered and was sitting upright on a nearby pole when police arrived.

DeSpain added the victim was then transported to the hospital for three staples to close a head wound after complaining of pain. He was not kept at the hospital for observation, and the victim returned to Evansville. The other man from Evansville was not harmed in the incident.

There was no indication alcohol was involved, DeSpain said. He added it is important to be aware of the possible dangers associated with battery because of past incidents, which have caused serious injury or death for the victims.

DeSpain cited a 2008 beating outside of Crave, a former restaurant on Gilman Street, that led to the death of a bar customer, as an example of the possible danger behind relatively minor batteries.

The victim in the Crave incident was in critical condition for two days after being punched at the corner of State and Johnson streets. He eventually succumbed to his injuries and died. MPD upgraded the battery charges for the perpetrators to homicide because of the man’s death.