Texas man head-butted repeatedly after defending woman from racist tirade at gym

SAN ANTONIO — A Texas man was head-butted repeatedly after intervening when a man went on a racist tirade to a woman at their gym.

Matthew Egan, 36, was at a San Antonio Life Time Fitness with his girlfriend when he noticed a shirtless man yelling at a woman outside the sauna, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

The man was berating the woman, who was in her early 20s, telling her, "You don't even belong in this country."

Egan first tried defusing the situation with a joke. When that didn't work, Egan stepped between the man and woman, telling him to leave her alone.

Egan said the shirtless man threatened to kill him. The man then head-butted Egan multiple times, causing him to bleed.

Gym employees called police, who arrived after the man had left.

Egan suffered an injury to his nose and teeth.

"I look at it as just — I have a big mouth," Egan said. "I stepped in because I didn't like what I saw. People are like, 'You're a hero.' I don't know. I'm more disappointed that I was the only one that stepped in."

The woman, who moved to the U.S. about a decade ago, asked not to be identified.

“Even from a very negative situation, I came out with a good friend,” she said of Egan. “It’s sad. It’s very sad. You would think in the 21st century none of this would happen, yet it’s still happening.”

The altercation started after the woman, who had been waiting to use the sauna, pointed out a sign to the man indicating it was limited to four people because of social distancing measures, after he barged in ahead of others.

The woman left to tell employees. She returned to the sauna area and the man was still going off, shouting profanities and sexist names. That's when Egan walked by and intervened.

“There were people already there from the beginning who were hearing all of it who didn’t say anything,” the woman said. “It made me really happy and it made me feel really great to know that people like him are still there to help.”

Life Time Fitness said “swift membership actions were taken” and it was investigating the incident. Staff members said they were also cooperating with police in their investigation.

Cox Media Group