Phoenix assault victim says suspect was the same person who attacked Paul Bissonnette
PHOENIX - Phoenix Police are investigating an assault at Raven Golf Club that the victim says has ties to an assault on a former NHL player in Scottsdale.
It happened the same night former Arizona Coyotes hockey player Paul Bissonnette was attacked by six men at Houston's restaurant on Nov. 24 in Scottsdale.
The victim of the Phoenix assault, an employee of the golf club named Carter, believes he was hit by the same group of guys.
Bissonnette's assault happened around 7:30 p.m., and Carter says he was punched in the face by the same group earlier that day.
Phoenix Police say they’re aware of the similarities and are investigating.
Carter says his jaw still hurts from getting assaulted.
"He just runs at me, pins me up against the wall and just starts wailing on me," Carter said.
He shared surveillance video of the attack committed by a man in a green shirt. Carter says the suspect was drunk and refused to leave at closing time.
"I had a good black eye for a week. But, my jaw is still sore, and I have like a big bruise on the top of my head, under my hair," he said.
Carter believes that man to be Danny Bradley, the same man in the same group that attacked Bissonnette just an hour later.
"100%," he said. "I just recognized him immediately. I saw him a bunch of times that day. So, it was pretty easy to identify him."
Bissonnette says he saw a group of six drunk men harassing the bar staff for not serving them another drink. When he tried to stop the men, the group then became violent toward him.
He described the experience on his Barstool Sports podcast Spittin' Chiclets.
"I said, ‘Listen guy, if you keep harassing and assaulting the staff, we’re going to go outside and have some problems.’ The minute that left my mouth, the guy starts throwing punches," the former NHL-er said.
Unlike Carter who just had to take it, Bissonnette fought back.
Clockwise from top left: Danny Bradley, John G. Carroll, William J. Carroll, Sean Daley, Edward Jennings, and Henry Mesker. (Courtesy: Scottsdale Police Department)
"I mean, he’s a half foot taller than me, 150 pounds heavier than me. I'm not the biggest guy, so just make sure I didn’t get super hurt, and it'll probably stop soon," Carter said.
Bissonnette, who made a name for himself as a fighter on the ice, was able to take them on, fighting back until police showed up and arrested them.
The majority of the group was visiting from Fort Worth, Texas.
Bissonnette was enraged when he heard they had gone after Carter, too.
"Maybe I should have just sat and waited for my traditional salad from Houston’s and minded my own business. But, what if that Danny Bradley cocks his right and ends up feeding one of those managers at Houston, that same right hook that he did at the golf club? What if one of those guys drop and the next thing you know, they got a cocky or even worse, they hit their head and they’re on a breathing tube," he said on a podcast episode on Dec. 3.
Carter says he reported the assault to Phoenix Police, which says it's investigating the two cases independently and have not confirmed the suspects are the same in both incidents.
Meanwhile, there’s no guarantee the Texas men charged with misdemeanors and one with a felony will return to Arizona for their court dates. They were released with no bail.
"I think they should be punished for what they did," Carter said. "People can’t just go around beating people up, then getting away with it."
Both Carter and Bissonnette said they do not understand why the men were released without bail.
When one of the suspects, Sean Daley, appeared before a judge last month, he was told he had to return for his court date in person. He responded by saying he would try.