Two suspicious Santas gave a bar patron a lump of coal Friday night, knocking him out with a punch to the face.

The men – thought to be in their late-20s to early-30s – aroused suspicion when they arrived around 11 p.m. at the Rusty Gull neighbourhood pub on the North Shore in questionable St. Nick attire.

“These were not the finest Santa suits,” said a bartender, who asked not to be identified.?“Running shoes, one leg torn, tied at the back. It’s the perfect robbery disguise this time of year,” he said.

Margaux Seeley, a server at the pub, said she forced the Kris Kringles to remove their beards.?“The law says you can’t hide your face with a mask. So I pulled the beards down and just said, ‘Now I know who you are.’”

Seeley said the men were inside the pub for less than five minutes, never ordering a drink and seemingly sober. When the Santas left, they had a confrontation with a recently evicted intoxicated patron on the street.

“I went outside and saw the guy on a stretcher,” said Seeley. “He was knocked out. And he wasn’t a small guy, either.”

Police said they are having difficulty narrowing down suspects.

“When our officers arrived, the Santas had escaped in their sleigh,” said North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Richard De Jong.

The victim was released from hospital with minor injuries, said De Jong. Anyone with information on the swinging Santas is asked to contact North Vancouver RCMP.