A Dallas Cowboys fan, his wife and their daughter have had their lives ‘turned upside down’ by a brutal attack at their first-ever game.
Wenceslao Gonzalez, a lifelong Cowboys supporter, got tickets to watch Dallas play the Baltimore Ravens on September 22 as a birthday present from wife Lindsey and daughter Emma.
But as they were preparing to leave the team’s $1billion AT&T Stadium afterwards, they spotted a man screaming at a young woman who was ‘sobbing’.
In an effort to diffuse the situation, Wenceslao intervened and became embroiled in an argument with the man – who has since been identified as 32-year-old Rafael Ramirez.
Ramirez punched Wenceslao in the face before attacking Lindsey as she tried to separate the two men.
Wenceslao Gonzalez, wife Lindsey and daughter Emma were attacked at a Cowboys game
Lindsey Gonzalez, 40, suffered damage to her face, including a broken jaw and fractured nose
Ramirez punched Lindsey in the head, knocking her out with a single blow. He then kicked her in the face as she lay on the floor.
Lindsey told CBS: ‘I know he was in my husband’s face and he had already hit my husband in the face
‘I was trying to separate them. And that’s all I remember. Next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.’
Lindsey said she suffered 12 fractures in her face with damage to her left eye, left cheek and nose. She also broke her jaw.
Picture of Lindsey lying in hospital show the severe injuries she suffered, with her right eye barely able to open because of swelling. She had surgery on September 24.
Wenceslao also suffered a fractured foot in the incident, meaning both have been unable to work.
The family say they will never return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington because of the incident
Ramirez was arrested and charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm but he was bailed out of Tarrant County Jail on September 23, according to local reports.
‘I never wish bad upon anybody or want to see any harm come to anybody,’ Lindsey said.
‘I do want him to pay for what he’s done though, and I want it to be fair and just. Our whole world has been turned upside down. Our lives may never be the same after this.’
Lindsey also admitted the family ‘never want to go back’ to the Cowboys stadium.
Daughter Emma also criticized law enforcement for their slow response.
She said: ‘It was just really frustrating that there wasn’t more police presence, there wasn’t security around to do the job that they were supposed to be doing.’
