A Dallas Cowboys fan, his wife and their daughter have had their lives turned upside down by a brutal attack during their very first game.
Wenceslao Gonzalez, a lifelong supporter of the Cowboys, received tickets to see Dallas play the Baltimore Ravens on September 22 as a birthday present from wife Lindsey and daughter Emma.
But as they prepared to leave the team’s $1 billion AT&T Stadium afterward, they saw a man yelling at a young woman who was “sobbing.”
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Wenceslao intervened and became involved in an altercation with the man – who has since been identified as 32-year-old Rafael Ramirez.
Ramirez punched Wenceslao in the face before attacking Lindsey as she tried to separate the two men.
Wenceslao Gonzalez, wife Lindsey and daughter Emma were attacked at a Cowboys game
Lindsey Gonzalez, 40, suffered damage to her face, including a broken jaw and broken nose
Ramirez hit Lindsey in the head, knocking her out with one punch. He then kicked her in the face as she lay on the ground.
Lindsey told CBS: ‘I know he was in my husband’s face and he had already hit my husband in the face
“I tried to separate them. And that’s all I remember. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”
Lindsey said she suffered 12 facial fractures with damage to her left eye, left cheek and nose. She also broke her jaw.
A photo of Lindsey in hospital shows the serious injuries she suffered, with her right eye barely able to open due to swelling. She underwent surgery on September 24.
Wenceslao also suffered a broken foot in the incident, which prevented both of them from working.
The family says they will never return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington because of the incident
Ramirez was arrested and charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, but he was released from the Tarrant County Jail on September 23, according to local reports.
“I never wish harm on anyone and don’t want to see harm on anyone,” Lindsey said.
‘I do want him to pay for what he did, and I want it to be fair and just. Our whole world has been turned upside down. Our lives may never be the same after this.”
Lindsey also admitted that the family “never wants to go back” to the Cowboys stadium.
Daughter Emma also criticized law enforcement for their slow response.
She said: ‘It was just very frustrating that there wasn’t more police presence, that there wasn’t security around to do the job that they needed to do.’