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Man hurt in attack near bikini bar

A suspect is arrested after a scuffle involving two men who were at the bar and the scene of a nearby car crash.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published June 30, 2005

LARGO - A 25-year-old Largo man was critically injured early Wednesday when another man punched him in the face and knocked him to the pavement where he struck his head, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

Devin Michael Payne, 24, was being treated at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. His brain sustained a serious injury and was bleeding, an arrest report said.

Accused of the attack, Damian Joseph Weilbacher, 22, of Largo was later apprehended and charged with one count of aggravated battery, the report states. He was being held in Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

The motive for the attack remained unclear.

Shortly before the incident, at 12:25 a.m. Wednesday, Payne was involved in a minor car crash on the southbound exit ramp from U.S. 19, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jim Bordner.

Payne had just exited the parking lot of Baby Dolls South at 13383 U.S. 19 N and struck a passing car, Bordner said. Both drivers stopped.

Just then Weilbacher, who was not involved in the crash, left the bikini bar and walked toward the scene, the sergeant said.

Weilbacher and Payne began to argue and a bystander tried to separate them, Bordner said. While a woman stood between the two men, Weilbacher punched Payne, who hit his head on the pavement, Bordner said.

"The deputy described it as a sucker punch," he said.

Weilbacher fled on foot as deputies set up a perimeter around the scene, Bordner said. He was spotted moments later and taken into custody.

[Last modified June 30, 2005, 00:59:15]