A White off-duty cop in Tennessee was knocked unconscious with a single punch at a wedding after a Black guest failed to appreciate his line in racist humor, according to a police report.
Tanner Holt, a 22-year-old officer, told Jonathan Toney within earshot of several other guests at the June 26 nuptials in Knoxville that he “didn’t know they let Black people in the reception hall,” local CBS affiliate WVLT reported.
According to witnesses, a very drunk Holt made a series of racial remarks while speaking to a group in a parking lot, prompting Toney to ask the officer several times to stop.
Holt’s final comment before being silenced was that he is himself “part of the Black community.”
Toney – who, like his more famous boxing namesake, can clearly throw a punch – hit Holt once, causing the cop to fall back onto the asphalt, WVLT reported.
Holt was taken to a nearby hospital in Knoxville, a city around 150 miles east of Nashville.
No one has been charged over the incident, which is now the subject of an investigation by the Knoxville Police Department’s internal affairs unit.
The department said that Holt sustained “serious injuries” and is still awaiting medical clearance to return to work.