The New Orleans Police Department is looking for the man who beat a Pittsburgh native now living in the city, leaving him fighting for his life.
According to his family, the victim, Scott Wagner, remains hospitalized with severe brain injuries resulting from the beating he received around 12:30 a.m. on September 24. Wagner's sister told WWL-TV that Wagner stopped at a bar in the Marigny after leaving his job in the French Quarter. Wagner's sister says someone punched Wagner from behind, knocking him ground.
NOPD investigators say the incident happened on Frenchman Street near Decatur Street. They say the suspect sucker punched Wagner after Wagner accidentally stepped on the perpetrators shoe. The suspect, police say, punched Wagner several times after he was knocked down, rendering him unconscious.
Police say the suspect and an accomplice then walked away from the scene, going toward the French Quarter.
Wagner's family told WWL-TV that they drove to New Orleans from Pittsburgh to be with Wagner as he battles for survival. Wagner's sister says she and other relatives have called the NOPD 14 different times seeking answers or some information about Wagner's case, but she says no one has ever returned her call.
After Wagner's family spoke with the TV station, the NOPD released information about the case to the media. That release says the NOPD is working the case as a second-degree battery. A spokesperson also told WWL-TV that investigators were not made aware of the family's requests for information.
If you know anything about this case, call the NOPD at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
