Too bad someone outside area couldn’t take a look at this case.
Consistent with an assault!
From that description, it sounds like the two were joking, a bear hug was given, which caused the person to black out and he fell face first into a concrete step.
If a person is given a bear hug, they can pass out. We did this as kids to each other. That he coughed and made a strange sound bears that out a bit.
Am I missing context here? It sounds like they were, by all accounts, not enemies.