PRINCETON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A birthday night out took a violent turn when a man was attacked outside The Club Lounge in Princeton during the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Deputies with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1:51 a.m. to a reported assault at the lounge located at 801 Oakvale Road. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, David Blankenship, suffering from a deep laceration to his chin and bleeding heavily.
Blankenship told deputies that while seated in his vehicle, he was approached by 34-year-old Justin May, who initially attempted to shake his hand before suddenly striking him in the face with a whiskey glass.
“He said we were good, then just sucker-punched me with a rocks glass,” Blankenship said in his written statement. “It was my birthday — I just wanted to leave the drama behind.”
After the assault, May allegedly pulled a knife and threatened two of Blankenship’s friends, Joseph Dillow and Anthony Snider, who attempted to intervene. Witnesses said May then fled the scene on foot down Oakvale Road.
Blankenship’s girlfriend, Hannah Thompson, recorded the incident on her phone while sitting inside the vehicle during the assault. According to her statement, the group had felt uneasy around May inside the bar and decided to leave before the situation escalated.
“He walked up acting apologetic, then smashed David in the face,” Thompson said. “Then he started threatening everyone with a knife before taking off.”
Officers conducted a search of the area but were unable to locate the suspect. Based on witness accounts and video evidence, deputies are pursuing warrants against Justin May for malicious assault and brandishing a deadly weapon.
