ST. PETERSBURG, FL (WFLA) – It was a Saint Patrick’s Day party that went wrong with booze, beads and a brawl that left a man fighting for his life in a Florida hospital.

“The two groups were fighting over something. We aren’t really sure what they were arguing about, we just know a man threw a punch,” said Yolanda Fernandez with Saint Petersburg Police Department.

It happened just after 2am Saturday in front of a liquor store.

Police say one man was punched and then hit his head, resulting in a life-threatening injury.

“The man immediately fell straight back. He didn’t try to break his fall, didn’t try to throw his arms out, nothing. He hit his head on the pavement really, really hard,” said Fernandez.

The victim is 26-year-old Brian Scott Neal. He’s a college student at the University of South Florida. He now has a serious brain injury.

There were record crowds out that evening, which is why police hope that someone there saw something and will come forward.

“We have a college student who is severely injured and we have three men out there who know exactly what happened and one of them threw that punch. We are hoping that someone knows who they are and can tell us who the identity is.”

If you recognize any of the men in the surveillance video, you are asked to call the Saint Petersburg Police Department at (727) 893-7780.