Shocking moment North Carolina bouncer punches transgender woman in the face leaving her with a horrific black eye after shouting transphobic slurs at her: Guard had NO license and victim claims that it was a hate crime
- Lynette Matusik captured part of the attack with a camera in her glasses
- She walked into a bar and was grabbed, lifted into the air and thrown by a security guard
- Matusik was left with a black eye and the security company was fired
This is the shocking moment a bouncer punches a transgender woman in the face, leaving her with a horrific black eye after shouting transphobic comments at her.
Lynette Matusik, who captured part of the attack on a camera in her Meta Smart Glasses, claims she was the victim of a hate crime.
She was having a night out with friends last Friday evening and wanted to end it at Billy Jack’s Shack, a popular restaurant and bar in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I was just bouncing around,” Matusik said. “At the end of the night I was looking for food and went into Billy Jack’s Shack.”
But she claims she was grabbed by the arm by the bouncer, lifted into the air, thrown to the ground and strangled while being bombarded with homophobic abuse.
Lynette Matusik, who captured part of the attack with a camera in her Meta Smart Glasses, claims she was the victim of a hate crime
When she entered, she claims she was grabbed by the arm by a man and lifted into the air, thrown to the ground and ended up with his arm around her throat while shouting homophobic language.
“Whoa, hey, get your hands off me,” she says as he grabs her and lets him know she’s recording this. “I don’t care,” the bouncer replies before Matusik asks, “Why are you choking me?”
“I asked you for your ID,” the bouncer replies. Matusik disputes that he ever asked for identification.
The attacker, who claimed Matusik bit his thigh, called police after she was taken outside. Authorities and medics responded and took her to a hospital.
Her body was left injured and bruised, including a brutal black eye.
When shown video of the incident, he declined to comment if warranted, but the company has since said no one should be choked by security. WCNC reported.
Gridiron Protection Services, the company hired to provide security at Billy Jack’s, has no record of applying for a permit to do security work, an illegal but common practice in the state, according to the Charlotte Observer.
“They’re not security, and I’m not going to use that word,” Matusik said.
Matusik says her body was injured and bruised, including a brutal black eye
Gridiron Protection Services, the company hired to provide security at Billy Jack’s, has no record of applying for a permit to do security work, an illegal but common practice in the state.
Unarmed guards are required by law to complete a 16-hour course covering the basics, with a 20-hour course for armed guards.
The bar posted a statement on its social media channels last Sunday saying they had severed ties with Gridiron and claiming the incident was “contrary to what Billy Jack’s Shack stands for.”
The North Carolina Private Protective Services Board said it will launch an investigation into Gridiron, which has not yet commented on the situation.
Over the past two years, the board says it has investigated 74 security companies in North Carolina for not being licensed, and six in Charlotte alone.
Due to the guard’s alleged bite, only Matusik has been charged in this incident, in which he was charged with simple assault.
Matusik shared her video in the hope “that shedding light on this incident will spark a broader discussion about safety and security measures” and says the biting accusation is “ridiculous.”
She demands that the case be investigated as a hate crime.