Witnesses dispute woman's claims after fiancé seen attacking elderly man at Santa Clarita bar
Bar patrons dispute claims in Santa Clarita bar attack
People who witnessed the attack of an 84-year-old man at a Santa Clarita bar are now countering the claims of the woman whose fiancé is accused of in the assault.
LOS ANGELES - People who witnessed the attack of an 84-year-old man at a Santa Clarita bar are now countering the account of the fiancé of the man involved in the assault.
The backstory:
Footage from inside Doc's Inn on Feb. 27 shows 21-year-old Owen Hayes punching an elderly man.
Emma, Owne's fiancé, spoke to FOX 11 on Friday saying the elderly man was acting inappropriately and crossed the line.
"This man's hand caressing my forehead and grabbing my hair and start playing with it. And I froze. I've never been touched inappropriately by anyone before. And when I was watching this man doing what he was doing, his eyes were wide, and he was puckering his lips as if he was enjoying the moment. He was making provocative noises as he was touching me," Emma told FOX 11.
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She said her fiancé came to her defense.
Woman defends fiancé’s attack on 84-year-old
A woman is defending her fiancé after he was involved in a brutal fight with an elderly man. Emily says the man inappropriately touched her and violated her space.
The other side:
But now witnesses at Doc's Inn are saying none of that happened.
"They were never close enough for him to do things like touch her," one witness said.
"If I saw anything on that video or knew anything of him to be that type of person, I wouldn't be here defending. I'm a mother, I'm a woman, I'm a bartender. I see it all," Renee Kennedy Powers said.
The 84-year-old man, who bar patrons refer to as Bible John, say he is hard of hearing and he tends to move closer to better hear people. Witnesses said even if perhaps he did invade Emma's personal space, he didn't deserve to be hit by a man who is far younger, bigger and heavier than him.
The man suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed. He has since been released from the hospital.
They say Bible John is a regular at the bar and isn't known for such bad behavior.
Elderly man attacked at bar in Santa Clarita
An 84-year-old man was attacked by while at a bar in Santa Clarita.
What's next:
Hayes turned himself in to authorities on March 17. He was charged with felony assault and expelled from Masters University.
Emma has since filed battery charges at the Santa Clarita substation. A deputy told FOX 11 it was classified as misdemeanor battery.
We've yet to hear from the 84-year-old, but we're told he's still recovering from the injuries he suffered in the attack.