My name is Carl Wittenbrink and I am the person who was assaulted. Here is the rest of the story that the Olympian omitted!
I feel I need to say that the reporting done by the Olympian is absolutely SHIT. they took my quote out of context and, I feel, made it sound as though I was condoning the use of anti gay verb-age in everyday use as an excuse for this crime to be classified as anything but a hate crime.
They also did not bother to mention that the attacker had followed me around that gym to three different areas making me very uncomfortable so I left. He somehow made it outside before me and waited for me.
After he hit me knocking my cell phone out of my hand he backed me against a wall and positioned himself blocking my way out into the street. A woman walked past and saw what was going on and looked straight ahead and hurried off.
I had to abandon the things I was carrying, drop them, duck away, and run down an ally to get away.
When I thought he had left the area I came back to get my things and my phone and went back into the Y, but when I was just about to step through the door, he came around the corner -- apparently trying to cut me off at the end of the alley (glad I turned around) and started running at me screaming the same as before.
I went inside and he did not follow. One other thing that I think may have been important to say, since the man has been identified is that he is HUGE -- like 6'3, well over 200 lbs. I am no where near that size and I have never been in a fight in my life. I really had come to terms with the fact that I was possibly not going to walk away from that spot.
Needless to say, it has really shaken me up and made me reevaluate my safety. I feel I need to learn how to protect myself not only with pepper spray but to know how to drop someone no matter their size with only my hands and feet. It has changed my life.
Now they have found this guy and talked to him they have not arrested him because they have not had me in to do a photo montage though I have made myself more than available and requested to go do so several times. It makes me so mad that the paper played the issue down and that the police are refusing to call it what it is. I feel like because I did not incur serious injury they feel it doesn't matter.
I feel sooo lucky to be one of the ones who saw the chance to run and took it and lucked out but what if the next victim isn't so lucky. The fact that they say this guy has to admit that he was motivated to assault me because of my sexuality.... are you kidding me? Lets ask the perp if he would rather be charged with a misdemeanor or assault 3 (a felony). Hmmm? Is the language he used not enough?
I think that if that is the language used when somebody is assaulted, weather the crime was driven by the fact that it was perceived the victim as gay is of no consequence the language that you use affects people and has consequences of its own! What the hell is wrong with this picture?