A man bit off a chunk of his roommate’s ear in Pittsburgh on Monday morning as they argued about President Donald Trump.
Via WCVB 5:
The 30-year-old victim was bitten at his apartment at around 6:45 a.m. Monday in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood after a verbal argument turned physical. He ran to a gas station for help.
Police spokeswoman Emily Schaffer says she isn’t able to say whether the victim supported Trump or opposed him.
The victim’s ear was recovered by police in the apartment and was reattached at the UPMC Presbyterian hospital. Police say they know who the assailant is and are searching for him.
The question on many minds all day was whether the aggressor was pro-Trump or anti-Trump. On the one hand, there have been hundreds of “reports” of attacks on minorities by Trump supporters, but those reports have been largely unsubstantiated and have in many cases turned out to be complete hoaxes. On the other hand, the anti-Trumpers have proven themselves to be not always terribly peaceful and in fact even quite unhinged and violent at times. It was a real stumper.
The local media finally got to the bottom of just what happened through an interview with the victim late Monday.
Both men are from Mexico, Pittsburgh’s Action 4 News reported. According to the victim, the accused attacker was in a rage over “what could be coming for him” under President Donald Trump. Salatiel Marcos Ortiz suffered through a very traumatic ordeal. “He want to kill me. He going crazy,” he said.
Ortiz told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that his roommate — whose name has not been released by police — was drunk, angry over repeatedly losing money on the lottery and worried about what Trump will do as president.
Ortiz said that he and his roommate are from Mexico, and that the roommate feared Trump would force him and other immigrants out of the United States.
“He is paying his money on lottery, and now Donald Trump say, anybody got to go,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz said the roommate broke his finger, pushed him down a flight of stairs and chomped off a chunk of his ear at their Amber Street apartment.
“He take my ear and he bite it,” Ortiz said.
When the roommate went for a knife, Ortiz was able to run to a nearby gas station and seek help, he said.
“He tell me, ‘Don’t move, because I gonna kill you,'” Ortiz said. “When he goes, like, (to) take (the) knife is when I knew the chance and run away.”
You can watch the video here.
The roommate, who has not yet been identified, has fled, according to Public Safety spokeswoman Emily Schaffer. The investigation is ongoing.
Hopefully, when and if he’s found, Ortiz’s attacker will indeed be deported back to Mexico.
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