A video of an elderly American man being beaten on the streets
A video of an elderly American man being beaten on the streets of Da Nang went viral this week, prompting ward police to describe the scene as the culmination of a long string of fights picked by Dennis Marshall Gray, 68, a hot-headed trouble-maker.
On Thursday morning, however, Gray told Thanh Nien News he considered himself the victim of an assault, poor police work and his own temper in more or less that order.
“Don’t forget, I was the victim this weekend” he wrote in an email. “The video certainly shows that.”
After the brief footage of his beating went viral online, thousands in Vietnam came to know Gray as the man who was whipped with a bicycle innertube as he struggled to escape a crowd in Thanh Khe District in the central city.
His assailant, Le Van Phuoc, 29, told Thanh Khe police he attacked Gray after the American broke a woman’s nose.
Police say they’ll clarify the violations committed on both sides and issue relevant fines to ensure public safety and punish violent behavior.
I don’t know. He looks like one nasty guy!