photo courtesy of Madison 365
Natasha Fuller, a 22-year-old Black Woman in Appleton, Wisconsin, was allegedly attacked on camera by a 54-year-old white man. He cited the reason for his alleged violent attack to be because Fuller was walking in an alley.
Steven Huss, the assailant on video, turned himself in on July 29. According to Madison 365, Huss “turned himself in and was arrested Friday evening for battery and robbery with use of force.”
In addition to the initial charges, “Court records indicate Huss made his initial court appearance at 3:30 pm Monday on charges of battery and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, and robbery with the use of force, a class E felony,”
The attack occurred while Fuller was taking a walk; while walking down an alley, Huss pulled up behind her in his truck and honked at her to pass. She told Madison 365 that she “stepped to the side,” and he pulled the truck in front of her as if to block her way or force her off the alley. Huss then exited his truck and “approached [her] aggressively,” and Fuller pulled out her cell phone.
“I didn’t think he was gonna get out of his car. And that’s when I started recording,” Fuller told the outlet, “I just thought I was gonna be like him yelling at me. Fine. At least I would have proof. I didn’t think he was going to put his hands on me. I’m trying to record his license plate and get whatever information, and then he sees me recording, and I think that’s what triggered him. He reaches for my phone, and he just grabbed my braids and slammed me to the ground and started wailing on me like we’re both two men in a bar fight.”
She explained why she began recording and what happened next.
The video taken shows what happened during the attack, where Huss can be heard calling Fuller a “b****” and asking her what she was doing walking in the “middle of the alley.”
The police report indicated that the attack wasn’t a hate crime. However, Fuller expressed, “I definitely think it’s a hate crime, whether it’s women, whether it’s towards black people or black women … I don’t know. (Maybe he was) just having a bad day. Okay. But so was I, and I just went for a walk. I didn’t treat someone mercilessly in an alleyway.”
Fuller was treated at St. Elizabeth Hospital for her injuries, detailed as a mild concussion and lacerations to her face.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged law enforcement to further contemplate whether the attack was racially motivated and pursue it as such.
“Because of the nature of the alleged assault and the rising level of bigotry nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this disturbing incident,” CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper dictated.