Deltona man charged after bar fight leaves man hospitalized with ‘severe’ brain bleed
A Deltona man was arrested Saturday, accused of sending another man to the hospital with a punch.
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According to an incident report, a Volusia County deputy already on a traffic stop was flagged down shortly before 2:30 a.m. Saturday by patrons of the Buzzard’s Roost Bar on Elkcam Blvd. for reports of a fight in progress.
The deputy noted they could hear yelling coming from the bar’s parking lot, disregarded the traffic stop, and drove towards the disturbance.
According to the report, the deputy arrived in the parking lot to find a group of people in front of the bar and an unconscious man down on the ground.
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While waiting for medical aid to arrive for the victim, the report says the deputy spoke to several witnesses about what happened who all told a similar story.
One witness told the deputy he was standing outside the bar when a man later identified as 31-year-old Clayton Zinck came out, upset because he couldn’t find his girlfriend. According to the sheriff’s office, the first witness described seeing Zinck “sucker punch” one man who later left the scene.
That’s when the witness told deputies the victim who was left unconscious attempted to “diffuse the situation” but Zinck punched him too, causing him to hit his head on the floor.
A second witness described a similar scene in which an intoxicated Zinck walked up to the victim and hit him in the face. The second witness described seeing the victim fall head first and land so hard on that ground that the impact could be heard. The second witness also described seeing Zink punch another man earlier who had already left the scene.
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A third person who saw that attack also described seeing Zinck punch the victim and knock him out, causing him to hit his head on the concrete. All three witnesses described the attack as “unprovoked” and said the victim never even tried to hit Zinck.
A Buzzard’s Roost bartender who didn’t witness the attack was able to describe Zinck’s behavior in the bar prior to the incident, saying he “caused problems throughout the night,” and didn’t have enough money to cover his tab.
Deputies reviewed surveillance video from the bar that they say actually shows Zinck and the victim hugging before Zinck gets into the passenger seat of a car.
According to the sheriff’s office, shortly after Zinck sits in the passenger seat, he can be seen getting out of the car, walking up to the victim, and punching him once in the face, causing him to fall backwards onto the concrete.
The victim was taken to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital as a trauma victim. According to the report, medical rescue crews were not able to get him to regain consciousness before he was transported.
According to the sheriff’s office, at the time of their report, the victim was suffering from a “severe” brain bleed and was in serious condition with a prognosis that was still uncertain.
Zinck was ultimately arrested and charged with aggravated battery. He’s being held in the Volusia County jail on $100,000 bond.
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