NEW YORK — Canadian wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart was tackled by a spectator Saturday while he was giving a speech during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The attacker was promptly subdued by several people, including other wrestlers, who came to Hart’s defence. Hart is OK.
The person ran toward the ring from the crowd, spectator Alan Fisher told The Associated Press.
"I couldn’t believe that the security had missed him in the first place and the next thing you know there was Shane McMahon and Travis Brown on top of him the crowd was going crazy booing," Fisher said. "Everyone was cheering when one of the wrestlers punched him."
New York City Police arrested 26-year-old Zachary Madsen. He faces assault and criminal trespass charges. An email to the district attorney seeking someone who could comment on Madsen’s behalf wasn’t immediately answered.
I’m so proud of my uncle @BretHart tonight during our HOF ceremony. Bret is a cancer survivor, a stroke survivor and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He didn’t deserve to be attacked or have his moment or my dad’s diminished. We got it back on track. Thank you, guys
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) April 7, 2019
Several shocked onlookers posted footage of the tackle online.
The induction event resumed, with Hart continuing his speech, after the fan was taken into custody.
"He should have never attacked Bret Hart especially at such a special moment in his life," Fisher said.
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