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St. Petersburg police: Man threw sucker punch after being told to stop catcalling women

 
Zachary Kenneth Allen was arrested Thursday after police spent a week asking for the public’s help in identifying him.
Zachary Kenneth Allen was arrested Thursday after police spent a week asking for the public’s help in identifying him.
Published March 26, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG — The mixed martial arts fighter accused of leaving a University of South Florida student critically injured during St. Patrick's Day revelry was catcalling women right before he threw what police are calling a "sucker" punch.

New details about the incident were revealed in the arrest report of Zachary Kenneth Allen, the 23-year-old trained fighter accused of assaulting Brian Neal, 26.

Allen was arrested Thursday after police spent a week asking for the public's help in identifying him. Neal has been hospitalized since the incident and is reported to be in critical condition.

The incident took place about 2 a.m. on March 18, while St. Patrick's Day celebrations were wrapping up. The two were outside Detroit Liquors, at Central Avenue and Second Street N in downtown.

Neal confronted Allen for making the crude comments, according to police.

Then Allen "sucker … punched" the engineering student, according to the arrest report. Neal fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete.

Neal "was not engaged in a physical fight" with Allen when he was punched, the report said.

The incident was captured on a surveillance camera, police said. They had also made public video footage of Allen leaving the scene of the incident in an attempt to identify him.

Once Allen was identified, he was contacted by police and turned himself in to police headquarters on Thursday afternoon. He was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery.

He has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

Allen, of 9143 Dream Way in Largo, was released from the Pinellas County Jail just after 10 p.m. that night after posting $10,000 bail. He has no previous criminal record. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Police said Allen is a mixed martial arts fighter. He was featured in Facebook ads last fall for an event called "Fight to Win" at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Because Allen is an experienced fighter, the courts may treat him differently from an average person in a similar situation would be treated, according to legal experts.

Neal, who is from Webster, is a student at USF's Tampa campus and worked at a LongHorn Steakhouse. His family declined to speak to the media this week.

Contact Sara DiNatale at sdinatale@tampabay.com. Follow @sara_dinatale.