PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Spring Hill father says he was hit so hard at a Pinellas County bar he was knocked unconscious and needed several staples in his head.
Kyle Acevedo tells ABC Action News he wanted to press charges on the suspect, but he walked away free that night.
Acevedo said he was at The Chic-A-Boom Room in Dunedin on October 7 with his fiance and a friend of hers when the suspect, who we aren't identifying, hit him in the face.
The father of three has pictures documenting four staples in his head, six stitches on his upper lip that was cut open, and he was diagnosed with a concussion.
"When it happened I actually woke up on the floor in blood with someone holding my head," Acevedo said.
Acevedo was told he could not press charges because the alleged attacker was offered a diversion program called the adult pre-arrest diversion. This program means a person must admit to a crime, then they won't have face jail time or a record.
"I want this guy to go to jail for what he did," said Acevedo, "there's no doubt in my mind this is a crime."
Acevedo's lawyer, Katherine Neal, said the suspect should not have qualified for the program because Acevedo's injuries were not minor.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has reevaluated the case and they are sending the case to the state attorney's office to review for aggravated battery charges.
A spokesperson for the department said the program was offered because they say the victim was uncooperative that night and he refused medical treatment.
Acevedo said he drove himself to the hospital for treatment.
