A paramedic having dinner with friends was coward-punched by a random stranger in a disturbing unprovoked attack.
Mario Matic, 38, was sitting in the outdoor dinning area with his partner and a friend at a restaurant on Faraday Street in Carlton, Melbourne, when a man ran up to him and punched him in the jaw.
CCTV footage of the incident shows the stranger only momentarily breaking his stride to strike Mr Matic before continuing to run away.
The paramedic of 15-years lost consciousness for a short time and has been dealing with a concussion for the week since.
Onlookers suspected the attacker may have been under the influence of drugs as he took off his shirt while taking off towards Lygon Street.
A 38-year-old paramedic, Matio Matic (pictured) was coward-punched by a stranger while dining with his partner and a mate
Mr Matic said the experience was ‘pretty frightening’ and that he felt he was lucky the incident hadn’t been any worse.
‘He sort of skipped up to me, king-hit me in the jaw and ran away,’ he told 9News.
‘My first thought was that we’d been hit by a car because I had no idea what had happened.’
He felt a sharp pain in his neck before blacking out and waking up in his partner’s embrace.
The CCTV footage from the restaurant shows Mr Matic slumping over while grabbing at his jaw while another person at the table comes to his aid.
The attacker is described as being aged in his 20s of 30s with long, dark hair.

Mr Matic briefly lost consciousness after the man run up to him and punched him in the jaw (pictured) before taking off his shirt and continued to run in the same direction
Mr Matic said he saw at least five people who appeared to be under the influence of drugs in the area about an hour before the incident.
He also witnessed one of those five people almost being hit by a car.
‘I think the individual would benefit more from, I assume, drug counselling or support rather than being put in jail,’ Mr Matic said.
Anyone who recognises the man has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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