New video shows the apparent unprovoked attack outside a popular New York City comedy club that left former "Saturday Night Live" star Chris Redd hospitalized briefly.
Surveillance footage from outside the legendary Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village shows the assault that went down just before 10 p.m. Wednesday. Redd can be seen with his back to the camera, and suddenly falls to the ground in front of a crowd of people.
Police said that someone, for unknown reasons and without saying a word to Redd, punched the comedian in the face as he got out of a car, just steps from the front door of the club. Redd had been set to do a show at the Comedy Cellar that night.
At least a dozen people witnessed the incident. Video obtained by TMZ showed the commotion shortly after, with a woman helping Redd who was slumped over by a door.
"Huge pool of blood. Huge," said Fabrizio Cavallacci, the owner of Cafe Reggio, which is next door to the comedy club and whose cameras captured the attack. "This poor guy was bleeding. The manager was trying to stop the bleeding."
Comedy Cellar Owner Noam Dworman told NBC New York in an exclusive interview that they are "deeply upset about what happened and we hope he’s okay. We want him back as soon as possible."
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Redd had a show scheduled for Thursday night, but Dworman said the comedian is still recovering from his injuries. He called Redd a member of the family, and it pained him to see him get hurt.
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"Day to day we’re hearing of stories that are senseless, disturbing and violent incidents," Dworman said.
The owner of the longtime comedy club is hoping city leaders will do more to curb the violence. Police say the suspect ran off after slugging the comedian and hasn’t been caught yet. An investigation is ongoing.
Police said that Redd was treated for a cut to his face, and was later released from the hospital. NBC New York reached out to Redd's team, but they did not immediately respond.
Redd was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" for five seasons. In September, Redd announced he would not be returning for season 48 in the fall.
