A visiting Californian was knocked unconscious early Saturday on the 500 block of State Street, despite police efforts to defuse the situation.
According to a Madison Police Department incident report:
An MPD detective patrolling State Street saw the suspect, 32-year-old Deon Johnson, shouting at the victim and decided to intervene. Realizing the situation was close to turning violent, the officer yelled at the suspect saying, “Stop, police!” and “Don’t do it!”
The officer was unable to intervene physically before the suspect delivered a knockout blow to the victim’s face.
The suspect tried to walk away and claimed he had not done anything, despite the officer having been only a few feet away. The suspect was arrested for substantial battery and was found to be in possession of marijuana and cocaine.
The victim was unconscious for around five minutes and was taken to the hospital.
According to MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain, the victim suffered no serious injuries.
DeSpain said the two were not acquainted and it was not clear what triggered the altercation.