An ex-policeman claims that he was assaulted in an unprovoked attack by a woman who allegedly mistook his birthday hat for a pro-Trump 'Make America Great Again' cap.
Retired NYPD detective Daniel Sprague, who hails from Staten Island, claims he was celebrating his 50th birthday with his spouse and his friends in Nashville, when he was hit in the face by a woman who took umbrage over his choice of headwear.
The hat in question was styled to resemble a red MAGA baseball cap, but read: "Make 50 Great Again' in a reference to his celebrations.
Recently, President Trump appeared to mock one of his own supporters at a rally:Although Sprague is said to be a Trump supporter, he alleges that the assault was unprovoked and that the woman had not said anything to him before striking him. Security guards quickly separated the two of them, and the attacker beat a hasty retreat before Sprague could call the police. He filed a police report the next morning, and the attack was recorded on surveillance cameras.
In a later interview with PIX11 Morning News, Sprague stated: "So I was in the middle of a conversation with somebody and when I was spun around, I’m finishing my sentence and as I turn around I wind up getting punched in the face by this lady. I don’t recall ever seeing her at all in the bar."
He continued: "She was grabbing my hat as she was hitting me and she was yelling, ‘How dare you! How dare you!' So I assume, she was holding the hat, she didn’t like the hat and she didn’t take the time to read it."
He also claimed to have had a civil discussion with two African-American women later that week about his hat and added: "I knew the hat was a great slogan and all that but I also knew it was creating problems, but I didn’t think I should not wear it because of that. By this happening, there was no conversation. I wore the hat for the rest of the weekend; it empowered me in that aspect."
According to the New York Post, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has since confirmed that they took a report regarding the incident.