Bartender Assaulted In Cleveland, Needed 5 Staples In Head

CLEVELAND, OH — Five staples were needed to close up a wound on a 26-year-old woman's head after she was attacked while working on March 24. The woman, who also suffered a mild concussion, is a bartender at HQ's Lounge on W. 117th Street, according to police records obtained by Patch.

The attack happened at about 1 a.m. on March 24. The 26-year-old was working the bar at HQ's when she noticed that a man appeared to be staring at her. She told this to a coworker who promptly pointed at the man.

Soon after, the man approached the bartender and asked if there was a problem. After the 26-year-old said there wasn't a problem, the man asked if he could buy her a drink. The bartender declined, saying she was working. The man then left the bar.

He came back a short while later with a female companion. The bartender thought this woman seemed ready for a fight and was acting strangely, so she reached for her phone to make a call. That's when the woman lashed out, hitting the bartender in the head.

As the 26-year-old fell to the ground, her head hit something and she started to black out. She vaguely remembers the woman jumping the bar and continuing to punch and kick her, but she does not remember someone pulling the suspect off her.

The bartender went to Southwest General Hospital for treatment, getting five staples in her head. She was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

The bartender was able to locate the man in the incident on Instagram, but she did not know her assailant. However, the bar does have interior surveillance cameras and the bartender's boss provided that footage to police.

Anyone with information on the incident or the suspect is asked to contact Cleveland Police at 216-623-5118.

Photo from Cleveland Police