A man is facing criminal charges after attacking famous professional wrestler Bret “Hitman” Hart during a WWE Hall of Fame speech at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the New York Post reports.
Authorities on Saturday arrested 26-year-old Zachary Madsen and charged him with two counts of assault, as well as a single count of criminal trespass and a municipal violation.
Madsen is accused of lunging at Hart, 61, at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday.
According to police, Hart was giving a speech when Madsen, whom Hart had not known previously, leaped over a metal gate, entered the ring and tackled Hart, knocking him to the ground.
Video of the incident obtained by Fightful shows Madsen taking Hart from behind. Another video captured just after the incident shows a phalanx of security guards converging on Madsen, pinning him down and removing him from the ring and beyond the view of the camera. The video, posted by Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, also shows people attending to Hart.
Boys and girls Travis Browne hit that ring almost before the attacker even did and was throwing down some ground and pound on this dude. USADA TEST THIS MAN. (from cyberstryke1120 on IG) pic.twitter.com/j1s9WYwDw1
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) April 7, 2019
Hart told officers that he was having pain in his right hip following the attack, although he was able to complete his Hall of Fame speech.
Markazi subsequently uploaded photographs showing Madsen taking lunges at Hart. Madsen appears to have been wearing a Rasta-inspired hat.
Someone from the crowd just ran into the ring and tackled Bret Hart during his WWE Hall of Fame speech. Here’s the aftermath. pic.twitter.com/oZXjnUj2kp
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 7, 2019
Madsen is reportedly from out of state, but precisely where was not immediately clear Sunday. Public records list an address for someone with the same name and age in Lincoln, Nebraska, about 1,300 miles away from Brooklyn.
Madsen has no previous arrests involving the NYPD. He is scheduled to be arraigned Sunday in Brooklyn Court.
[Feature Photo: Bret Hart via AP/George Napolitano/ MediaPunch/IPX]
