A man in his 60s was pinned to the ground and punched in the vicinity of Belfast City Hall last night (Saturday).
Police say a Taser stun gun may have been used by the suspect during the assault.
The incident occurred in Donegall Square North at around 7pm and the man was treated at the scene by paramedics.
It’s believe this incident is linked to a robbery in the early hours.
Detective Sergeant Eric Fairfield said it was reported that the suspect pinned the man to the ground before punching him and then fleeing on foot.
“This must have been an extremely distressing ordeal for the victim who was treated at the scene by staff from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service,” he said.
The suspect is described as being of a heavy build, with black hair and he is thought to be aged in his late 20s. He is reported to have worn a red Adidas tracksuit top that was zipped with a white hood underneath, black tracksuit bottoms with white stripes down the side and white trainers.
“Our enquiries are at an early stage, and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened to get in touch with us,” said Detective Sergeant Eric Fairfield.
A Taser was also reportedly used in a robbery at a business on North Queen Street in Belfast just after midnight and police believe the two incidents may be linked.
It was reported that the men entered the premises, one of whom was armed with what was described as a Taser stun gun.
They threatened a member of staff before fleeing with a sum of money. The staff member was physically uninjured, but has been left shocked by what must have been a traumatic ordeal.
One of the suspects is described as being tall and he was wearing a red and white Adidas jacket, green shorts, white trainers and he had his head and face covered. The second suspect is described as wearing a blue/green-coloured jacket with white stripes on the sleeves, grey knee-length shorts and he also had his face covered.
“We believe these two incidents may be linked and I want to appeal to anyone who has information about either of them and which may assist our investigation, or who witnessed either incident to call detectives at Musgrave on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 38 of 28/04/19 or 1044 of 27/04/19,” added Detective Sergeant Eric Fairfield.
Alternatively call Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.