A Rutland teenager who allegedly hospitalized a man in a beating near the River Street Bridge said he was acting in self defense.

Thurston M. Smyrski, 17, pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court this week to a felony charge of aggravated assault. He was released on conditions that included a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew at his Cramton Avenue home.

City police say Smyrski beat 22-year-old Spencer Carey unconscious during an argument near the Red Moon Bar off Post Street on Aug. 29. Carey, who a witness said was punched repeatedly after he lost consciousness, was treated for seizures at the scene and was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire where he didn’t regain consciousness for two days, according to a police affidavit.

If convicted, Smyrski faces up to 15 years in jail.