A beautiful afternoon on the green in Indiana quickly turned into chaos when a confrontation between golfers turned violent, leaving one man hospitalized.
Jerry Whitaker, 34, was arrested and charged in connection with the attack after he knocked a 54-year-old golfer unconscious, reportedly causing him to stop breathing for 10 seconds, according to Golf overview.
The day took a turn when Whitaker’s wife was met with a barrage of insults, running back to her group in tears, prompting Whitaker to demand an apology and take matters into her own hands.
Jerry Whitaker, 34, was arrested in Indiana after he assaulted a 54-year-old man who began spewing insults at his wife after their group “cut the line” at a golf outing
The skirmish took place Friday afternoon on the lawn of The Links at Heartland Crossing in Morgan County, Indiana
This happened after the 54-year-old man, whose name has not been released, played the ninth hole at The Links at Heartland Crossing in Morgan County on Friday afternoon, according to Fox 59.
He and his group stopped at the clubhouse to order some food.
Instead of stopping to order food, Whitaker’s group decided to continue playing and “cut off” the group that was ordering before them.
The dispute arose after the 54-year-old man became enraged at Whitaker’s group for ‘cutting the line’ ahead of him and his group of friends, claiming it was against ‘good golf etiquette’.
The middle-aged man didn’t let the incident slide, despite one of his own friends telling him it was “not that big of a deal” that the group behind them was playing along, Fox 59 added.
But the confrontation only escalated when the angry man confronted Whitaker’s wife, calling her and her group “assholes,” even going so far as to call his wife a “c***.”
After she walked away from her group of friends in tears, Whitaker returned to confront the man about what had been said and demanded that he apologize to his wife.
The two men began to clash after the abusive person showed no interest in apologizing for his offensive language toward a woman.
Whitaker began punching the older man before knocking him to the ground after the angry man called his wife a “scumbag” and a “dick” – and then refused to apologize to her
Whitaker was arrested and is facing a Level 3 felony charge. The man was taken to the hospital and suffered multiple injuries, including seven broken ribs.
The 54-year-old man was then punched several times, after which Whitaker grabbed him by the waist, lifted him up and threw him to the ground after he refused to apologize.
Medical staff at the hospital told police the elderly man suffered seven broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken piece of his vertebra after the attack, Golf Digest reported.
The man also had a cut on his forehead that required several stitches, Fox 59 reported.
Friends of the 54-year-old man said that when he lost consciousness, he stopped breathing for about ten seconds.
Brownsburg resident Jerry Whitaker has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault, a Level 3 felony; assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony; and disturbing the peace, which is a Class B misdemeanor, Fox 59 reported.
A Level 3 felony in the state of Indiana can carry a prison sentence of up to 16 years.