The man who sucker punched Steve Buscemi in a brazen NYC street attack last May offered up a bizarre apology as he was sentenced to six months in jail this week.

Buscemi, 67, was strolling along Third Avenue near East 27th Street in Kips Bay, in eastern Manhattan, at 11.48am on Wednesday, May 8 2024 when Clifton Williams, 51. walked up to the actor and attacked him outside 369 Third Avenue, then fled. 

The Boardwalk Empire star – who was captured on surveillance footage just moments before the attack –  was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was treated for bruising, swelling, and bleeding to his left eye. He later stepped out with a black eye.

Williams pleaded guilty to assault charges on March 12 – with prosecutors saying he also hit a 22-year-old man minutes earlier at 11.30am, in another unprovoked attack.

Williams, who was homeless at the time of the assaults, apologized to Buscemi in court, per the NY Post, but claimed there was an ‘incident’ between him and the actor before the assault.

He said: ‘I only maintain the fact that there was an incident brought before me between myself and Mr. Buscemi on that date, and I’m sorry.’

The man who sucker punched Steve Buscemi in a brazen NYC street attack last May offered up a bizarre apology as he was sentenced to six months in jail this week 

The attacker, Clifton Williams, 51, pleaded guilty to assault charges on March 12 – with prosecutors saying he also hit a 22-year-old man minutes earlier at 11.30am, in another unprovoked attack – pictured in court in June 2024

Along with his jail sentence, Williams  as also sentenced to five years on probation and two orders of protection against Buscemi and the 22-year-old man hit earlier.

Williams, was busted over a week after Buscemi’s attack when he tried to report stolen property to the police, with an officer recognizing him.

The police received a call from the superintendent of the homeless services building in Chelsea. They reported harassment by Williams over allegedly stolen belongings.

When an officer arrived, Williams was asked to file a report for his lost property. However, during this process, the officer recognized Williams’ name and linked it to the suspect in the Buscemi attack.

Williams allegedly confessed to his involvement in the crime when confronted with an NYPD wanted poster.

Court documents seen by the NY Post show Williams claimed he mistook Buscemi ‘for someone else he had known and that the actor had told him that he was going to “kick my ass” before the attack.

Dailymail.com has contacted Steve Buscemi’s representatives for comment.   

 ‘Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,’ his publicist said last May.

Buscemi is seen moments before he was punched in the face in the random attack on the streets of New York City on May 8 2024 

Buscemi was seen with a black eye  – four days after he was punched in the face last year 

Police released a surveillance image from the attack showing Williams, wearing a dark baseball hat, blue T-shirt, black pants, and white sneakers – he claimed there was an ‘incident’ between him and the actor before the assault.

Williams, who was homeless at the time of the assaults, apologized to Buscemi in court, per the NY Post  – pictured during a perp walk on May 17 2024

Buscemi starred in HBO series Boardwalk Empire as protagonist Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson

‘He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of NY.’

A worker who was nearby when the assault happened told the New York Post:  ‘I saw he was with a woman, and then through the corner of the window I saw him trip and fall backwards. 

‘He right away got up and ran in the opposite direction,’ they added. ‘I didn’t see who hit him.’

Police released a surveillance image of the attacker, wearing a dark baseball hat, blue T-shirt, black pants, and white sneakers.

Buscemi grew up in NYC and was a firefighter in Brooklyn before he quit in the 1980s to pursue an acting career. 

He returned to his old firehouse hours after the September 11 attacks and stayed at the World Trade Center site for days, sifting through rubble.

The award-winning actor has a career spanning four decades and is best known for his roles in HBO series Boardwalk Empire and films like ‘Fargo’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs.’

While working on the film Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington, NC, in 2001, Buscemi was the victim of another brutal assault.

The actor has a career spanning four decades and is best known for his roles in HBO series Boardwalk Empire and films including ‘Fargo’ (pictured with co-star Peter Stormare)

Michael Stuhlbarg, 55, was approached seemingly at random by a homeless man in the Upper East Side earlier this year – Stuhbarg, who played gangster Arnold Rothstein on the show, was out for a run near Central Park when he was attacked by a homeless man wielding a rock

The actor intervened in a bar brawl after two local men reportedly picked a fight with his co-star Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg.

Buscemi was stabbed multiple times, above the eye and in the jaw, throat, and arm, according to police. He was treated at a local emergency room and released.

‘The situation could have been life-threatening,’ a source told Entertainment Weekly, which reported that the star had returned home to New York to recuperate and have plastic surgery on his wounds.

The assault on Buscemi on May 8 comes after his Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhbarg was also attacked at random while out in New York earlier this year.

Stuhbarg, who played gangster Arnold Rothstein on the show, was out for a run near Central Park when he was attacked by a homeless man wielding a rock.

The actor was close to East 90th and East Drive on the evening of March 31 when Xavier Israel, 27, threw a rock at his head, striking him in the back of the neck.

The 55-year-old suffered ‘minor injuries’ and he was seen on camera chasing Israel down to the Russian consulate at East 91st Street, where cops stationed outside apprehended the assailant. 

Other celebrities have been targeted at random on the Big Apple’s streets in recent years, including comic actor Rick Moranis and reality star Bethenny Frankel.

Bethenny Frankel says she was randomly punched in New York City a couple of months ago; The reality star, 53, made the revelation in the comments section of a Tik Toker (right) who said she was randomly punched in New York City

Frankel, 53, revealed that she had been randomly punched a few months ago, describing the incident in the comments section of a TikToker who also claimed that she had been randomly assaulted.

‘This is insane bc this happened to me a few months ago but I was embarrassed to say. I was on the UWS [Upper West Side]. I was taking video of a bakery,’ she wrote in the comments section via Page Six, which she has since deleted.