WATCH: Texas Police Hunt for ‘Tough Guy’ after Alleged Knockout Punch

Police in Rosenberg, Texas, are searching for a young man who allegedly sucker-punched a man from behind, knocking him out.

“It’s horrific to watch,” Rosenberg Police Lt. Chad Pino told Breitbart Texas Thursday morning. “The victim didn’t even have a chance to defend himself.”

Lt. Pino said that 18-year-old Alejandro Maldonado walked up from behind a man and punched him in the back of the head. The victim fell unconscious to the ground — face first.

Pino told KTRK ABC13, “You think it’s a game, your friends might peer pressure you into doing something, and it’s a serious offense, it’s a felony, it’s an aggravated assault. In this case, he sustained some serious injuries, and it’s not a game. It’s not going to be funny when you’re in prison.”

The so-called “knockout game” goes back a few years with crimes being carried out on social media. In a particularly horrific event, a young man knocks an 80-year-old woman to the ground in South Carolina, Breitbart News’ Warner Todd Huston reported in June 2015. In 2013 case, a Michigan man shot a perpetrator who attempted to knock him out with a stun gun, AWR Hawkins reported for Breitbart News.

In the Rosenberg case, emergency medical personnel transported the victim to a nearby hospital where he was released after spending three nights for treatment. “He is home now, recovering from his injuries.”

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Major Chad Norvell told Breitbart Texas that Maldonado is U.S. citizen who graduated from a local high school.

Police in Rosenberg said their department has no record of any prior contact with the suspect.

Officials said Maldonado said he would turn himself in to authorities but their communication eventually broke down.

As for his current whereabouts — “He’s hiding out,” Pino told Breitbart Texas. “He has nowhere to go.”