Ontario man pleads not guilty in Kid Rock concert brawl that left man in coma

BATAVIA, N.Y. – A Canadian man has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man who was left in a coma after being beaten during a Kid Rock concert in western New York earlier this summer.

Local media outlets report that 34-year-old Craig Lawson of Courtland, Ont., entered his plea Wednesday in Genesee County Court.

Authorities say Lawson punched Jason McNeil of Tuscaloosa, Ala., during the July 5 concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in the town of Darien, 40 kilometres east of Buffalo.

Police say the attack was unprovoked.

McNeil was in a coma at a Buffalo hospital for two weeks after the beating and remains hospitalized.

Lawson was released after posting $10,000 bail.

A fundraiser was started for McNeil, his wife and two daughters. Kid Rock donated $5,000.

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