AUSTIN, Texas – A peaceful day at Austin’s Barton Springs turned violent on July 26 and left a man seriously injured when he tried to intervene.
The Austin Police Department is investigating the incident and has referred it to its Hate Crime Review Committee.
What we know:
APD officers say that on July 26, around 5:22 p.m., officers responded to a disturbance call at Barton Springs on William Barton Drive.
The caller reported a person had been physically assaulted and was on the ground bleeding.
Officers arrived and found a person being treated by Austin-Travis County EMS who was then taken to a local hospital.
A witness told officers that a man had started a verbal altercation, which then escalated into a physical assault involving multiple people.
The witness said a bystander tried to intervene and was then assaulted by the suspect, resulting in them falling to the ground.
The suspect also reportedly pushed the witness before fleeing the area.
Good Samaritan seriously injured
The incident also left a man who tried to intervene in need of surgery, according to his family.
He sustained gashes to his head, a bleeding ear, a broken jaw, and a concussion and will need surgery for his broken jaw.
Those wishing to help him can donate to his GoFundMe. The fund was set up by his parents on his behalf to help cover medical expenses and help him stay afloat while in recovery.
The GoFundMe has raised over $55,000 as of 12 p.m. on July 30.
What you can do:
APD says this remains an open and active investigation.
Anyone with information or relevant photo/video evidence is encouraged to contact APD or submit tips anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or austincrimestoppers.org.
APD is also encouraging people to come forward and report any suspicious activity or potential threats by calling 911.
How hate crimes are handled by Austin police
Dig deeper:
The Austin Police Department gave further context for how hate crimes are handled by the department.
APD says that when a potential hate crime incident is reported to them, the case is assigned two title codes.
The first title code is the criminal offense that was committed, which can include but is not limited to assault, criminal mischief, robbery and sexual assault.
The second is the Hate Crime Information title code. This code ensures the case is routed to APD’s Hate Crime Review Committee, says APD.
The criminal offense is investigated by the assigned investigative unit, while the Hate Crime Review Committee is responsible for determining if the criminal offense occurred based on a bias or prejudice against a member of a protective class.
If the Hate Crime Review Committee finds an offense was committed based on a bias or prejudice towards the victim and a warrant is issued, or an arrest is made, the Hate Crimes Review Committee informs the prosecutor’s office of their findings.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting by Alec Nolan, a GoFundMe set up for the man injured in the incident and the Austin Police Department.
Great Job Alec.Nolan@fox.com (Alec Nolan) & the Team @ Latest News | FOX 7 Source link for sharing this story.
