Shocking Moment Thug's Random Punch Leaves Man Out Cold On Floor

A thug who punched a man unconscious with a vicious punch from behind may have been copying a viral video trend called the 'Knockout Game'.

Shocking footage shows the victim walking in a car park when a man runs up and launches a huge blow without warning.

The victim was caught completely unaware, and knocked out cold instantly.

He was unable to protect himself and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

The force of the punch caused the victim's baseball cap to fly off.

Bystanders who were within metres of the victim, failed to administer first aid in the video released by police in Rosenberg, Texas.

The 30-year-old man spent several nights in hospital and is still recovering from his injuries.

They named Alejandro Maldonado, 18, as a suspect in a post entitled "Tough guy wanted for Aggravated Assault".

Lt. Chad Pino said the victim did not know his attacker who may have been trying to impress friends on social media.

"You think it's a game, your friends might peer pressure you into doing something, and it's a serious offense, it's a felony, it's an aggravated assault," Lt. Chad Pino said.

"In this case, he sustained some serious injuries, and it's not a game.

"It's not going to be funny when you're in prison."

Maldonado had initially been tracked down and was cooperating with police.

But he cut off communication last week and police now hope releasing the video will shame him into turning himself in.

A number of one-punch attacks have been linked to the so-called 'Knockout Game' trend in recent years.

A 37-year-old street cleaner was punched unconscious at random in Paterson, New Jersey, in 2015 in a video which surfaced on Facebook.

Kristian Gonzalez, who was aged 17 at the time, was later jailed for three years.