I Was Punched In The Face - Bartender Lied To Police To Protect Friend

Location: Oregon, USA

Small town bar. I was sucker punched.

I had met this guy my age (both in 30s), and we became pool hall buddies. He’d invited to his birthday barbecue around Easter time this year, met up to play pool on 5 occasions. (So only have hung out 6 times).

Last Wednesday, I ran into him at the pool hall, we played pool and drank beers. He said “hey man, you should come hang out on Friday.”

I said “ok, I will let you know.”

After work, I ended up going on Friday. We met up around 9 pm, played pool with his friends.

Long story short, around midnight, he said I was being too annoying while playing pool with another guy next to him, and said “please go home, you’re being annoying.” And I said “dude, you invited me.” And he tried gaslighting me saying “no I didn’t.” And I pulled up text messages from earlier that day confirming his invitation. Without warning, he gave me a jab to my right cheek bone. I didn’t retaliate. I called the police and walked out when they arrived and gave my PII and testimony.

One police officer stayed with me outside. The other went inside and got “their side of the story.” The police officer from inside interviews the bartender (who happens to be the person who assaulted me’s friend).

So, the police, based on hearsay, dismissed my complaint after the bartender lied by saying I was making it all up.

Ok, so I go home. Today, I called the local PD asking for records, body cam footage. They ask if I want to speak to their superior officer. I agree. The officer reads me excerpts from the initial police statement stating, in part, that they wrote “no evidence was found to support my claims.” I then call the bar asking if there’s surveillance video cameras in the bar, they say yes. So I call the supervisor cop back and state what I discovered about the cameras. The cop gives me another call stating they will go to the bar to pull digital surveillance of the incident and go from there.

Do I have a claim for police not doing their due diligence in the investigation process on that night, premise liability for the bartender’s false statements (obstruction of justice, perhaps?), or battery and assault against the guy that sucker punched me?