WILDWOOD, FLORIDA: The horrible stabbing attack on disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar has apparently turned into an “unwitnessed event” due to the lack of video evidence. The 59-year-old Nassar, who was convicted of sexually assaulting hundreds of women, including gold medal-winning Olympians, was stabbed multiple times on Monday, July 10 inside the Coleman II federal prison in Sumter County, Florida.
Nassar reportedly suffered “substantial injuries,” including a collapsed lung after getting stabbed in the neck, twice in the back, and six times in the chest. Following the attack, the disgraced doctor was rushed to the local hospital, where he is in stable condition now. The Federal Bureau of Prisons later confirmed the news, however, they chose not to name him due to privacy and security reasons. “Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures,” bureau spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone said, adding “The inmate was transported by (emergency personnel) to a local hospital for further treatment and evaluation.”
Where was Larry Nassar stabbed?
A person familiar with the incident recently told The Associated Press that Nassar was stabbed by an armed prisoner inside his cell, a blind spot for prison surveillance cameras that only record common areas and corridors. The source also noted that in federal prison parlance, the attack is known as an “unwitnessed event,” because of the lack of video. The outlet further noted that authorities don’t have a footage of the attack but they have garnered a video where Nassar’s assailant is seen walking in and out of the cell.
This is the second time Nassar has been assaulted in federal custody. Previously, he was attacked in May 2018 at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, within hours of being placed in the general population. At that time, his attorney blamed the attack on the notoriety of his case and a seven-day televised sentencing where scores of victims made impassioned statements. The disgraced doctor was first charged in 2016, but allegations against him of abusing girls and young women go back to the 1990s. Before the conviction, he admitted to abusing athletes while employed by USA Gymnastics in Indianapolis and Michigan State University, both of which are known to train Olympians.
‘We're grieving the reality’
Meanwhile, Nassar’s first accuser Rachael Denhollander claimed that she is not 'rejoicing' after he was stabbed multiple times in prison. “None of the women I've spoken with are rejoicing today. We're grieving the destruction across so much. We're grieving the reality that protecting others from him came with the near certainty we would wake up to this someday,” she said, according to Daily Mail, adding “I wrestled so often with the reality that this headline would come. So many of us knew and we carried that weight when we spoke up too. Far too many lives were destroyed. Including his own.” Denhollander also took to Twitter to express her views as she shared, “Justice is conformity to what is right. It should be pursued and fought for. Forgiveness is releasing personal vengeance and desiring for the offender to find true repentance and peace. I am holding both, especially today.”
