NEW YORK — "Saturday Night Live" alum Chris Redd suffered a gnarly, bloody wound when he was sucker-punched by a stranger outside a Greenwich Village comedy club, witnesses said.
“They really bashed the poor guy,” said Fabrizio Caballacci, whose family has owned Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street since the 1950s. “He was bleeding a lot. There was blood all over the sidewalk.”
A stranger wearing some type of security uniform and a baseball cap ran up and struck the 37-year-old stand-up comedian in the face as he exited a car outside the Comedy Cellar on MacDougal Street near Minetta Lane in Greenwich Village about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday.
Another man was with the assailant but didn’t touch the comedian, witnesses and police said.
The comedian, known for his take on New York Mayor Eric Adams in an "SNL" skit, was rushed to Bellevue where he was treated and released.
A source close to Redd told TMZ that the comedian was hit with a pair of brass knuckles. The NYPD could not immediately confirm that a weapon was used, but said detectives were investigating the possibility.
Redd suffered two black eyes and a deep gash across his nose, the celebrity news website was told.
He didn’t return to the Comedy Cellar for a second performance on Thursday, as well as two performances at the Village Underground.
Nearby merchants who witnessed the bloodshed agree Redd was struck with something heavy since his wounds were so severe.
“His nose was cracked,” Caballacci, 67, told the Daily News. “It was split.”
A worker at Mahmood’s Falafel, which is also on MacDougal Street, said workers from the Comedy Cellar tried their best to help Redd before an ambulance whisked him away.
“His blood was on the sidewalk then all the police came,” said the worker, who would only identify himself as Mua. “It was only one punch.”
Redd’s attacker may have tried to grab the comedian’s Greg Yuna chain, but the links broke apart and scattered on the sidewalk. The pieces were later retrieved by Redd and his friends before he was taken to the hospital.
Caballacci said that Redd’s attacker briefly returned to MacDougal Street a few minutes after the comedian was hospitalized, possibly looking for pieces of the pricey chain.
Redd announced in September he would not be returning to "SNL" this season. He joined the comedy troupe five years ago. Since his departure, Redd’s been doing stand-up shows in the city. He also has a new comedy special premiering on HBO Max in November.
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