Re: Altercation in grocery store parking lot (Nov. 7)
As the parents of the young man who was assaulted, we feel there are several inaccuracies that should be clarified.
First and foremost, there was no confrontation between the two young men involved. Our son was conversing with friends when the offender came up behind him, raised his bike and hit our son across the side of his head. This caused a long laceration that went from the top of his head downward. This required many stitches to close as well as followup visit to the hospital.
Secondly, our son was not at a party with the attacker the night before and he is not friends with this person. They are merely acquaintances.
Thirdly, there was also no alcohol involved during this underhanded, middle of the day attack. The attacker went on second-hand information that was repeated to him which caused this unwarranted assault. We are very fortunate our son only received stitches from this attack because as we all know, a severe blow to the head can cause very serious and irreversible damage, not to mention the possibility of infection when the blow is executed with a germ-ridden weapon like a bicycle. This kind of violence is not acceptable and should never be tolerated.
We are grateful to any and all the eyewitnesses that came forward with information concerning this violent act. To you, we are sorry you even had to witness this horrible event. We also appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight and extend our thanks to The Hope Standard.
Missy Holgate,
Hope