[diggler]

LaPorte man claims he fended off scary clowns

Stan Maddux Times Correspondent

LAPORTE — Two people dressed as scary clowns preyed on the wrong man Tuesday night, according to the man's story. The victim's fighting skills caused LaPorte police searching for the suspects to check the hospital.

"If he's not in the hospital right now from everything that I've done to him, then he's hurting really bad," Matthew Cox said Thursday when interviewed about his encounter with two people wearing masks and dressed in checkered clown outfits.

Cox, 24, told police he was walking in the 1200 block of Andrew Avenue on the city's west side about 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Two clowns, including one dragging his leg and holding a sledge hammer, started to approach "like zombies," he said.

The clowns, believed to be males, were also yelling profanities at him, he said. That led Cox, an experienced cage match fighter trained in martial arts, to crouch into a fighting stance.

Cox said one of the clowns was running "like a freight train" straight toward him when he knocked the subject to the ground with a punch.

The fallen clown pulled a knife, but Cox grabbed him by the wrist and knocked the blade out of his hand while continuing the pummeling. The other clown took off running, police said.

Cox said the clown he had beaten up was on the ground moaning when he left and called 911 while running home.

Officers quickly showed up to find Cox breathing heavily and talking fast while describing what had just taken place, police said. The clowns were gone by the time police arrived.

"I worked him over pretty decent," said Cox, who noted his primary concern in defending himself was getting back home to his pregnant wife and child.

Police said officers went to LaPorte Hospital to try and locate the suspects, but nobody matching the description had checked in.

LaPorte police Chief of Detectives Tom Thate said investigators are treating the report seriously unless information develops that would dispute the victim's claims.

"I don't have any reason to believe it didn't happen," said Thate.

Police said Cox was bleeding from his knuckles, which would indicate a scuffle had taken place.

Cox, who taught hand-to-hand combat in the military, said one of his fingers was broken during the flurry of punches he landed.

"I didn't know if this was a practical joke or if this was people taking a joke way too far that turned serious, but I'm not going to lose my life over kids being dumb," said Cox.

According to police, one of the clown outfits had blue and white checkers while the other costume was red and orange.

Cox said the man he beat up was wearing a "killer clown" mask featuring sharp looking teeth while the other wore a Phantom of the Opera type mask with a sad face at the top and a smiling face at the bottom.

One wore boots, while the other had on "regular shoes," said Cox, and one clown was about 4 inches shorter than the other, who stood about 6-foot-4.[u]

[Southsider2k12]

Apparently the clown was the guy telling the story, as he made it all up.

[Southsider2k12]

Here's the follow up on Mr Clown Ciller.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/crime-and-cou...83df899fb4.html

[diggler]

There was a time, when far more serious serial killer clowns roamed the streets:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPX4jk3JEto

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