Man punched in face 'for looking like Shia LaBoeuf'

'This is because you look exactly like Shia LaBeouf' his attacker reportedly shouted after punching him in the face

Actor Shia LaBeouf leaves criminal court on 24 July, 2014, in New York City (Rob Kim/Getty Images)

A man was punched in the face and knocked unconscious reportedly because he looks like Shia LaBeouf.

Mario Licato, 26, was hit in the face by an unknown man as he left a Subway station on Manhattan's Lower East Side on Saturday.

"This is because you look exactly like Shia LaBeouf," his attacker reportedly shouted.

Mr Licato shared a picture of his black eye on Instagram.

"I wanna thank the guy who randomly decided to hit me last night," he wrote on Instagram. "Well sir you boosted my self-esteem because he's p hot."

He told the Gothamist he was walking up the stairs from the train at Delancey Street when the man punched him, sending him falling back down the stairs.

"It knocked me, and while I was falling down the stairs, all I hear was, 'This is because you look exactly like Shia LaBeouf!'"

Mr Licato was treated at the scene by EMTs and filed a police report about the attack.

He said he has been compared to the famous actor for years.

He added: "I wanna know what Shia LaBeouf did to him.

"What did Shia LaBeouf do to him that he punched somebody that looks like him?

"He must have did something so mean. Did he steal his girlfriend? Did he just see his last performance art piece?"