Matthew Leone, Bassist for Madina Lake, Brutally Beaten Rescuing Woman Being Attacked

• you "males" with computer muscles are actually shocking.  in a world where almost nothing is left to be sensitive to, you pathetic cowards actually have remarks like this? cast your judgement, it's not as if you have any more respect to lose.   i'll tell  you (as im the man you're discussing), you surmise such a mythology , so that, my actions leave you room to criticize.   being 5.6, 120... hearing a woman being murdered, and rushing to save her life, despite the cost it wound up imposing on me, is somehow gay or stupid or rock star? gay - no, married to the most beautiful woman alive stupid - no, not arrogant enough to justify this, but no. rock star - no, musician, barely makes a living.  was dropped by label just before this happened. youtube an interview if you want to see how i don't subscribe to archetypes like you do. had i known an attack was coming, the outcome would be different. had i read this thread somehow, before it happened, i would have definitely helped (had no idea what puss*ies exist in this world) thank you to those who've made loving and supportive comments.  that goes a long way when recovering from brain injury. to you others....  if you hear the cry of a woman being murdered, and do not get involved, you are a pathetic coward child. the only impact you have on the world is that it's a drag for us,  to have to share a world with you. also... unless clinically narcissistic, or truly mice among men, the only reason you've challenged this act is because you beat women.  think about yourself for just a second, instead of your impulse.  think about your true character, instead of your archetypal fantasy of who you think you are, wish you were, and pretend to be from your living room. think about your wife, mother, sister or girlfriend being murdered.   i bet you'd want a guy like me around then eh?   

• This gentleman needs to contact his local sheriff's dept. and see if they have a crime victims reparations (CVR) program. This program will pay for some of his medical bills and physical therapy and time off from work. It is something you DO NOT have to pay back. It is NOT a loan. This is a program that we have in Louisiana to help innocent victims of violent crimes get the help they need but can not afford. Hope this helps

• Dick: I clearly used the word "seems" and added an apology in the case that I misconstrued your argument. I meant that. Still do. The reason for my confusion was your sentence "And the lesson here is, don't mess with people twice your size." I don't find it odd that I was confused. Shannie: Kudos. You are one heck of a mediator.

• Did anyone read April Justices post? It's the big block of text near the beginning of the comments section, some story. Here is a little story I remembered last night: I was at a party some years ago, this girl, for reasons we won't get into said she was gonna go jump of a bridge. Nobody cared at the party so I ran after her, the bridge was nearby. She was standing next to it. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her to go back. She did. The next day I found out she had told the people at the party that I had tried to "jump" her, as in rape her. Lucky for me, she retracted that story and even said she didn't remember saying it to anyone the next day or I could've been in jail right now, serving time for trying to help someone out.

• Dick, I hear what you're saying, and I don't think you're inhumane. I do know what the posters mean though. I guess that there are a million ways of getting a woman out of a situation like that other than getting your head pounded in, but in a split second any smart person can end up on the wrong side of a beat down (it sounds like you've been there:D) And maybe it does have to do with having a heart bigger than your brain. I hate to see a girl/woman get treated like that, and would hate it even more if I tried to help her and she went right back to the same abuse. I know if I was this guy I'd feel like a sucker. But at least he didn't just watch and walk away. Who knows? Now if this guy kicked the abusers ass like a champ and put him in the hospital I wonder what the response would be from the girlfriend and the public. I think the guy tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. Is he a hero? Well for me no. To me the title hero is reserved for something more than being a decent guy. But he's an asset to the company :)

• PS. I've said all I want to on the matter, I don't want to keep repeating myself. Unless someone has a new arguement as to why I'm an asshole, then fine, otherwise I'm done. I think all you heroic people have more heart than brains, I think there's a delicate balance to be had between the two and you all are on the wrong side of foolhardy. You don't agree, fine.

• I guess I'm inhumane. Whatever, I've been called worst, I don't feel bad about it. I'd feel bad if I got beaten up or got into trouble with the law because of some woman who keeps forgiving the same asshole over and over again. I think women like that have only themselves to blame. I like nurses, I've been patched up by them a few times. I'd hate to see you get hurt over someone like the wife in this story and you would have been if you had gotten involved instead of Matthew. Not good.

• @Dick I can't help but pay attention to the world around me because I see it and the results of its coldness every single day. Real Life screams and cries in pain in one form or another for me every day. So don't think I'm living in a fantasy land where everything is black and white. My point was simply that I can't abide the thought of someone getting hurt like that and so I will try to help them. That is my nature. That doesn't make me a hero. It makes me human. Just a note: That's Ms. Hero and Trauma Nurse. When people like Matthew are brought into a hospital, it's people like me that see them and the devastation that can be brought on by the violent actions of others.

• "Let me ask you something: if you witnessed a woman, ANY WOMAN, being beaten on, would you honestly just keep going/ignore it? I WOULDN'T. Why? Because it is f*cking WRONG to cause harm to another person." WRONG? really? Then why do we even have laws? Emprisonment sure seems harmful to a person psyche, yet the state does it all the time. Hell in America, the state regularly kills people in executions. I know many many people who deserve to be harmed, I'm not saying any people involved in this story deserved it, except the wife beater but making general black and white statements like this are very foolish. Reality is much more complex. Real life is different shades of gray. Rarely its such light gray that it seems white and equally rarely it's so dark it seems black. But its never black and white. You should seriously pay more attention to the world around you there Mr hero.

• I'm reading these comments and wondering just what kind of lives some people on here have (Dick, daine373, etc.) that they wouldn't be willing to step in and help someone who was being harmed even if they didn't have all the backstory. I can honestly say, after much thought and consideration, that I would have done the same thing that Matthew did. There are some things in this world that are simply WRONG and it's got nothing to do with the fact that the woman may or may not have self-abuse issues. Let me ask you something: if you witnessed a woman, ANY WOMAN, being beaten on, would you honestly just keep going/ignore it? I WOULDN'T. Why? Because it is f*cking WRONG to cause harm to another person. When I was 8 years old, I watched my mother get beaten with a baseball bat by her then-husband and I couldn't stop him. Guess what? She had his ass thrown in jail and taught me to NEVER allow myself to be hurt like that...and I never have. If I saw the same thing that Matthew saw, I would have no problem at all trying to help in any way I could...even if it meant resorting to violence. It's sad to see that doing what is right can cause so many caustic statements to be made. Matthew was trying to help someone that he believed was being badly harmed. As far as I'm concerned, Matthew Leone put the 'man' in 'gentleman'.

• Bravo Dick. Bravo. Someone who got the gist what I was trying to say.

• @cccc: "The problem that I have with what you're saying, I guess, is that you seem willing to heap the blame on a nice guy trying to do the right thing." When did I blame the guy? not once did I blame him, why don't you try paying attention to what I actually said, instead of imagining things and then debating them? What youre doing there is called a straw man, you put up an imaginary position which I never took and then easily knock it down. Bravo... I don't want it ignore you, but if you keep it up, I'll have too. I think what he did was foolish, I think he should've let her get beaten up. She's used to it at least and he probably wouldn't have fucked her up the way he did him.

• "as he did so the guy jumped him from behind and beat him. This guy did things I can't even type." lol

• Dick: It does when I'm around, because I'm the one dialing the police. The problem that I have with what you're saying, I guess, is that you seem willing to heap the blame on a nice guy trying to do the right thing. Doing the right thing often involves serious personal risk- risk often taken for naught. That doesn't mean we need to give up the good fight. That doesn't mean we let the bad guys win. If anything, standing up to someone, though you face certain doom, is even more heroic than facing someone in an even fight. And, often, self-preservation is a preoccupation of the cowardly. Matt acted nobly. Matt has ginormous balls. He doesn't need the woman to be thankful- he just needs to know that he did the right thing. If I have misconstrued your argument, I do apologize.

• @Mark: I clearly said you should be using your FREE TIME to fight crime. You know weekends and such. If everyone who think they are the salvation of the human race did that, there would be no more crime. That's true, youre not alone! @ccccc:Sadly in the real world that dosen't happen nearly enough. I've been in more fights than I care to remember, in different parts of the world, each time someone got their ass kicked (many times, that person was me). Never saw the cops arrest someone. Not once. @Sandy: I don't drown kitties. I make love to them. ;)

• Dick said "back in the real world, the bigger they are the harder they beat your ass..." I would like to add that they then go to jail for being a total degenerate.

• Update on Matthew http://madinaswan.tumblr.com/

• Update on Matthew http://madinaswan.tumblr.com/

• @Mark, bravo.

• @Alexa Kim, yes I did get the reference and I guess you could say that I am a Sheep Dog...and yes, it did make me smile. Sure beats the Team America allegory along the same lines. @Dick, I would gladly don said cape and boots if I were independently wealthy or if one could make a viable career out of such to pay the bills and put food on my family's table. Alas, I have to prove my High School Career Education Counselor was right when he told me I had to follow a "real" career instead. However, that doesn't mean we can't all make a difference from the comfort of our Day-time Desk Jobs. Just because I don't get to witness a lot of wrong-doing locked inside a windowless office all day doesn't mean I can't get involved. I still write my Congresspersons almost daily. I help write Petitions. I talk to my City Council Members. I network with others in my Community. I give money to organizations that are dedicated towards putting up the good fight 24/7. I speak with my neighbors and make their interests my interests. I write pages upon pages each and every day that I can share online and I know will be read by a certain number of persons, helping bring about change in the way people think. Most importantly, I can raise my child well, to be good to other people, to refuse to be a victim, and to watch over others who may be victimized. No single person can change the world. However, that doesn't mean that one shouldn't try (or that one should pull the wool over their eyes while chanting "Out of sight, out of mind!"). You simply have to be content with the equivalent of "Think Globally Act Locally." I might not be able to personally take action against Human Trafficking in Thailand, but I will support those who can, and instead focus my efforts on the things I can personally take action towards in my local neighborhood. Sure, it's just one small little place of the world that is safe. Still, it's a start. I have taken personal accountability for it, and it's safe while on my watch. ;) And yes, I'm the same way when I travel. I got arrested in S.F. once for helping a drunken bum who got hit by a car at a cross-walk at 2am. The cops wouldn't believe that a stranger would earnestly help someone in need and were absolutely convinced I was trying to mug him while he was down. When they were booking me and ran a background check only to discover my ID was legit they let me go, for no other reason than where I am from has a reputation for helping strangers in need. Sure, it was a hassle sitting in the Holding Tank with @30 criminals for two hours before the S.F. Police realized I wasn't a criminal myself, but I would gladly do the same again if that were the cost of helping someone in need out. Dick, the only thing we have in this world is our moral conscience (unless you are a sociopath and are just born without one). Everything else is fleeting. Riches, Fame, Fortune, Friends, Fun, all come and go. In the end, you'll have to ask yourself whether you spoke your mind our shut your mouth, whether you hesitated or acted when you could. An old man may grow old in years by being silent, but a wise man grows wise by living each day with no regrets upon his conscience. I say let's stop praying for someone to save us and start saving ourselves. I say let's stop this madness. Because if you don't, and if I don't, and if good people like Matthew Leone don't, then we all deserve what we get.

• @Sandy, LOL!!!!!

• @Mark, the "sheep dog" reference is oblique, but one which I believe you will understand and should make you smile.

• Dick how many kittens have you drowned today?

• Fucking hilarious. :D

• @Mark, you make excellent points. We need to help each other improve our bravery and self-respect, not how to cower in the corners. A student of Sun-Tzu? Very good. I trust you understand what I mean when I say I think you are a sheep dog? @Dick, you're related to Randy Folds?

• @Mark: "The bigger they are, the harder they fall still rings as true today as it was in yesteryear" That tells me plenty about you. Back in the real world, the bigger they are the harder they beat your ass, ask Mathew Leone about that, he'll tell you a thing or two if he ever regains the ability to speak. If youre so keen to help those who can't help themselves, then why don't you spend all your free time fighting crime? I'll buy you the cape and the boots, it would be money well spent, belive me. :D There are many people who victimize others on a daily bases, I don't see you taking on the people who do human trafficking, the easter european mafia types. How can such injustices go on, when we have such an awesome morally upright individual like you around? Oh yeah, right, you weren't around to see that stuff go down right? cause what you don't dosen't exist right? I say empty can rattles the most.

• @Alexa Kim You summed it up well when you said "If a man has a code of ethics that requires he intervene when he sees a crime against a weaker person, that code does not insist that the victim be healthy and mentally sound. He intervenes because it insults everything in him that he believes in." I was taught by my family that if one sees some kind of wrong-doing, one is obligated by both their moral conscience as well as out of duty to speak out and do what one can to stop it and remedy it, just as one is obligated to provide assistance and relief when others are in need (e.g. a little old woman trying to cross the street). When I grew older, I was sworn to willfully lay my life down to protect my family, friends, neighbors, and any stranger whom I may come across who is unable to protect themselves. I have tried to instill the same decency within my daughter. She puts me to shame when she is far more vocal about speaking up about wrongs she witnesses than I am. If walking along, minding my own business, I witness someone beating the heck out of someone else, I'm not going to ask for a background story first before I decide whether I am going to bother helping or not. I'm simply going to intervene. Of course, I'm going to try to settle it with my Wit and with Words before I resort to Fisticuffs, but I'm not going to keep minding my own business and walk on by, turning a blind eye to what I have just seen. I don't care how big the guy is, or whether he is armed or not. I'm not going to tolerate someone hurting another who is unable to defend their self. Yes, every time any person does such there is assumed risk, and yes, it could end up as badly as it did for Matthew Leone or even far worse still. However, as for me, that is a risk I am willing to take, just as it was a risk that Matthew Leone was willing to take. If more people had the same kind of moral fortitude to not turn a blind eye to wrongs that are committed, then crime would no longer be able to prevail and the criminals would be the ones who would be afraid instead of the victims. (And for the record, size has nothing to do with it in a fight. I've seen 90lb red-headed waifs take on 300lb goons like it was nothing...and without even breaking a nail or tussling their hair! The bigger they are, the harder they fall still rings as true today as it was in yesteryear, assuming they aren't high on PCP and you know what you are doing that is...which it sounds like Matthew's biggest mistake was turning his back on his assailant, not because he was smaller than his assailant. Although Matthew totally wins at being a man, he fails at being learned in the teachings of Sun-Tzu.)

• That was my thoughts also alexa. I hope the brother isn't such a wuss that he'd watch this happen. I also hope that if someone else witnessed it and did nothing, the brother kicked the sh*t out of him! One way or the other, somebody failed to intervene and that person needs a good old fashioned country butt-whupping.

• @Dick - you know what? I was actually involved in an altercation where the entire band (except for myself) stood around and watched while another member was knocked into unconsciousness! Needless to say that the band "dis-banded" later that week. As far as the rest of your comments, well I think your nickname says it all!!! Have a good night "Dick"

• The article does make it sound like he was there, but Pete interjects above that he thinks the brother is merely recounting what happened. Which is still confusing since Matthew's injuries were so profound, how could he have told his brother what happened?

• I understand, and nothing is more irritating to self-respecting women to see a woman actually start beating up her savior in defense of her tormentor. It's agonizingly destructive to themselves, other women, their children, everyone. But I am asking, how would Matthew, a stranger to the woman being abused on the street in public, know that she was a chronic victim of abuse she refuses to walk away from? But honestly, so what. If a man has a code of ethics that requires he intervene when he sees a crime against a weaker person, that code does not insist that the victim be healthy and mentally sound. He intervenes because it insults everything in him that he believes in. I still believe that he could have called out for help from any fellow men in the vicinity and the men who heard him should have rushed to his aid. Then if stupid woman were to start whapping Matthew they would have restrained her.

• Where was this brother that was mentioned? The article makes it sound like he was there at the time.

• By the way, here's another funny scenario that occured to me: Let's say I am the one who see the man beating the woman and I assume this the first time he is beating her (it's not) and decide to get involved. So I start getting into it with this guy, lets say I'm winning the fight, right? He's a big boy, he will land a few hits and I'm already pissed cause hes a woman beater, so in turn, I'm going to town on his ass, knock him down and keep kicking him, you know what happens then? The woman jumps on me to stop me from hitting her old man. So now I have to beat her down to keep her from scratching my eyes out. Thats what the guy was doing in the first place, so now he is on the ground, I have a fat lip and the woman is all messed up too. Funny but not smart.

• I did read the first couple of lines so I will respond to that: They always stick around after the first time. Well at least 90% of them do.

• How would Matthew have known she was a self-abusing woman who routinely allows herself to be abused when he intervened? He didn't care what kind of sorry woman she was, he cared that the weaker person was being abused by the stronger person and he couldn't just stand there and watch. It's hard to tell but it sounds like the only other man present was Matthew's brother, Nathan. The story does not say if Nathan was helping or if he tried to get the abusing criminal off his brother and just was unable to. If any other men present, within earshot at least, had joined him, instead of just watching him be victimized too, this story would have a happier ending. I hope he continues recovering and soon will be testifying against his attacker so the bully goes to prison. I totally understand the frustration with women who will not walk away from their abusers. But I also understand why some women are too terrified to leave, fearing that the act of leaving will incite the abuser to flip out and kill them. It wouldn't be the first time. But, easily, more abused women need to insist on prosecuting their abusers and prosecutors must, must, throw the book at such abusers so that they spend a long, long time in prison. They cannot slap them on the wrist, so they can go right back to living with their victims and proceed to abuse them worse. When woman can see that their abusers will not be able to retaliate against them, and they get help to relocate, because that's what it takes, then more of them will be less afraid to testify and make the case successful.

• @Roxanne, speaking of cowards who beat up women, you feel it would be fair for a whole band to beat up one guy? Besides, this particular band don't look like they could even beat off without getting a hernia. Sorry. No actually, I'm not. :D

• And the lesson here is, don't mess with people twice your size. Oh I know, I know, "he was helping a helpless woman, the mans a hero!" Well, the woman chose her man, I bet it wasn't the first time he was beating her. If she can't be responsible for her own decisions, then who can? I'm not saying she deserved to be beaten, but she sure deserved it more than him. Lesson two: Ladies, if your man has a habit of beating you and you've forgiven him each time, don't expect me to step up for you, I'll be over here watching the show.

• @Marcie: - The rest of the band was not there that night - otherwise Justin Pivec would probably have been the one in the hospital!!! @AlphaMale - I am not sure what happened to you in your life which makes you want to judge people but I am praying for you. Had Matthew not intervened, there may have been a murder that night! I am not quite sure where your hatred comes from, but just to let you know it takes a lot more energy to have than to love! Roxanne

• Sorry!" he wouldn't change a thing."

• AlphaMale, St. Sinner, I was on an investigation about a year ago. A lot like this situation. The out come wasn't as good. 3 assailants were brutally beating a young girl 14 yo and sodomizing her. A father and son ran to her aid. A fight erupted, the girl was bloody, naked and severely injured. In the chaos of the fighting between the 4 men and the young man all of 15 yo. someone was stabbed 3 times. Once directly in the heart and twice in the face. Two knife wounds to face, one of the knife wounds to the face pulled out the mans eye. The police arrived shortly after the fight began. Two of the 3 assailants were injured and taken to jail, the other one was caught 2 days later. The 15 yo boy died that night. The 14 yo girl had surgery to repair her injuries part of her colon had to be removed from the damage she had endured while being sodomized and gang raped. She spent 7 days in the hospital and was sent home to her family. 2 weeks later she ended up spending 7 months in a facility for mentally unstable people. The father of the boy sat in a dark room day after day and drank. This man ended up testifying along with the girl against these men that killed his son and raped the girl. The father doesn't cry anymore he said if he had to do it all over again he would change a thing. Was he stupid for putting his life and his son's life on the line to save that girl?

• moet, your dad sounds like a good guy but it sucks you had to see that so young. I cant stand seeing a woman hit even now, it turns my stomach, even that video of Snookie getting punched made me sick. My younger brother is the same kind of person, he steps into fights and has had tussles with dudes who beat on their girlfriends in public. It frightens me when he does it for reasons just like this, some dude could turn on my bro(saying that my brother is a 6'2 solidly muscled soldier...but he's not stab proof!) It's sad that the women attack their defenders but that is, alas, the mentality of a beaten woman...they develop a perverse loyalty for their man which is incredibly difficult to break them out of.

• This reminds me of a story from my youth... I think I was about 10 years old, and I was at a family function, a wedding I believe, at a reception hall. It was about 9 or 10pm, and my dad was going to give me and my brother a ride home so our older cousin could babysit us and the grownups could party hardy. Across the street from the hall, there was a man and a young woman arguing. They were not part of our get-together. The man just grabbed the girl, like half his size, and started throttling her, threw her down and put the boots to her. Then he fell to his knees and was WAILING on her, she was all bloody. He was hitting her HARD, I've never seen anyone get beat down that badly. So my dad, being the man he is, immediately ran across to the alley and pulled the creep off of the woman and gave him a few shots to the head. While his back was turned, the bloody girl picks up a stick and starts hitting my dad! Screaming "Get away from my husband you asshole! Leave him alone!!" My dad let the guy go and just gave the girl a "look", and since he would never raise his hand to a woman, he just shook his head and said something like "you two deserve each other..." and gathered up us kids and walked away, explaining that just because some people aren't grateful for the help doesn't mean you should never help. Anyway, long story short... good for Matthew. Sucks that he was hurt, but glad he at least stepped in and that he's recovering.

• I agree with Annie and Rebecca, April if your boyfriend is so traumatised by his experiences that he is VIOLENT to you, it does not excuse his actions, it makes them even scarier. Dont excuse what he's done because he's a vet, if he can hit you once he can hit you again and again and again. He needs some serious help and you need to get away and stay away from him, right this god damned second. You did the right thing calling the police straight away so keep THAT head on, please please dont let him back into your life. There are no ifs, buts or maybes with domestic abuse. If you stay with him, especially when his violence is triggered by something totally beyond his control, HE WILL KILL YOU. Look at Matthew! He wasn't even the focus of his attackers anger, he just intervened, and now a THIRD OF HIS SKULL has been removed in order to fix the problem one man caused. If you have any love for yourself you will keep away from him and keep him away from you

• Daine & Johnson: I usually believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, after all, is that not one of the freedoms our military fights for? But you 2, you are 2 butt ass backwards morons.

• April: I agree with Rebecca. He needs help. But I add that you, as well, need help. You seem to be making excuses for your bf, you need to know & understand there is NO excuse for anyone to hurt another human. You need to speak with an adult abuse counselor because your bf will continue to hurt you or worse, he may kill you or somebody else.

• April justice you are making excuses for a man that abuses you.He needs help now before its too late, maybe for you.

• Well I personal had the same thing happen to me by my boyfriend Saturday night in a public place and no one came to help me I did manage to get away from him and was scaried to death that he was going to use the car and run me over. I have bruises up and down my left arm and a small cut above my right eyebrow. Since he is a big guy 6'2 about 200 pounds and he used to box and he has served in the war as a medic he started remembering being shoot and coughing up blood along with a sugar problems that he has refused to get help with. And yes he has grabbed my wrist and my arm before and I have always been able to get his attention and then he realizes what he is doing. We have been together for @ 9 years. But we have never lived together because he up until about 4 weeks ago he would drink every night and he could be quite an idiot to not only me but to everyone else when he was drinking to the point that I refused to live with him while he was drinking. Well I guess Saturday night he decided that he would have a drink and had not really ate anything so with the flashbacks and his sugar along with the alchol it was a bad mix. Normal before I even get in his car and will talk to he just to get a read on his attitude before I even get in his car. But I could not do that Saturday night because were he had parked and where I had to park there were about 3 to 4 cars inbetween us. After being in the car with him and hearing him talk about how he wished he was dead and talking about the flashback of being shot and watching a few people shoot off fireworks and that not really helping him and then fact that I had gotten mad Friday night with my own family and went and stayed with a friend and when I got up went and picked him up and we rode to Mcdonalds an got a sandwich and I took him back home. Then I stopped by my house to get some clothes and my laptop and had spend the rest of the day Saturday with my friend and her family and just had a wonderful day I thought until I got with him. And yes when we talked later that night before we met I had asked him if he still had an extra bedroom available and he said yes anytime so I told him that I would call him back in an hour and I got caught up talking and eating a hotdog and a cheeseburger that my friend's family had cooked and where I was at they had a guy out in the rain with speakers and a guitar tring his best to get every one in the mood to celebrate the up coming 4th of July. Well needless to say that by the time I realized that an hour had passed I knew I would probably be in a little trouble but he does that to me and it was not like he did not know where I was because I had told him where I was it was not a secret. So just as soon as I got in the car he started and I told him that I did not have to stay and listen to him and that I was leaving and he told me I was not going anywhere and for the last couple of months he has had it in his head that I was or had cheated on him and I have never cheated on him and never even thought about it. So I got my Icee Coke, my keys, my smokes, my lighter, and my cell phone (which he pays for and in the end was demanding to have back) and once again told him that I was leaving and that I would talk to him tomorrow. Then is when he took his seatbelt off and grabbed my left arm above my elbow and told me I was not going anywhere and I told him to let go of my arm and that yes I was leaving. But he had the strangiest look in his eyes a look that I had never seen before and it was the look it's self that told me that I was in more trouble then I might could handle and it was a look that I hope I never see again. Well he had a hold of my arm so tight that all I could do was open the car door and hope I would be able to get my arm from him and just as long as I had my car keys I knew I could get away. By then he had my arm above my elbow with his left arm and then he grabbed my wrist with his right arm and told me I was not going anywhere again and I told him you are hurting my arm and to let me go and he refused. Well I am not quite sure just what happened next it was like all of the sudden he had let go of my wrist and was then swinging at the icee that I had and I guess when he done that he some how hit my glasses and then is when I took a swing at him and then got on my back and started kicking him I think I may have even kicked him in the face. Next thing I know he is trying to push me out of the door head first and he still has a hold of my left arm and it demanding the cell phone while I trying to find my glasses and my right lens from my glasses and trying to figure out what just happened. Well I tell him I don't have the phone and show him my car keys that were in my right pocket and my smokes and my lighter in my left pocket and that I did not have the cell phone and then he was telling me to find the cell phone and I told him that I did not have it and I was not staying to find it and then he seen it on the ground outside the car and that is when he let go of my arm and I was able to get out of the car and get the phone all while he is screaming and still caring on. Now I was not scaried of the look in his eyes but by the fact now his can run me over before I can get to my car but he backed up and left Thank God. And with all the people that were there not only did they not help they did not even call the cops I had to call the cops and talk to them at right after something like this happenes to you - you will not be able to remember everything detail about what happened right then because I remember them asking me if he had punched me and honestly right that moment I could not tell them right then all I could tell them is that he was holding on to my arm and would not let it go and then he lunged at me and all I knew to do was to get my feet up and get some distance inbetween us and I probably kicked him in the face but I could not tell were I had kicked him or if when I tried punching him after he knocked the drink and my glasses off if I had hit him or not. My bofriend is one of those people you even like or you are scaried to death of there is no inbetween with him. So yes I would like to get a restraining order against him but that cost money and right now I don't have any. So what is a person like me suppose to do all I can do is protect myself so any time I go anywhere now I will have my bat in the car just in case he showes up around me our at my house with my family because we do not have an adult male at my house just my brother even though his in an adult because he is over 21 but he is not one to fight because we are not volient people we were not raised that way. And yes I know if my brother would of been there I would not have bruises up and down my arm because we have always tried to look after each other being raised by a single mother since I was 10 and being the oldest. So to the Alphamale you will never find a female that will find you putting her in her place as what a female wants. And I hope to God that you don't have one and that a female never gets involved with you. Because if anybody gets involve with you they would be better of dead then with you. God made Adam and Eve. And since Jesus died on the cross man and woman are equals not one above the other that was maybe the case back during the cavemen times but not now so Alphamale got luck in your caveman view of the world. And I hope Matthew Leone a speedy recovery and you are a hero and you know it in your heart that you God put you there at the very minute and that is why you are getting better and the wife beater will in the end get what he deserves and try not to blame his wife she was probably just scaried to death because she knows that she could of waited there with you but that her husband would of just found her again and done the same thing to her again. Because people like him will not stop at nothing to hurt the person they feel they need to control and domiant. And no the other band member that was there was able to call 911 and get you the quick help that also helped save you life. And I will make sure to pass on your story so that the people that can help you can help you. God Bless You. You are my 4th of July Hero.

• Fucking hell. Well done dude, seriously. This kid should get a fucking medal and the douchebag who did it should be strung up. I've never thought much of the band but well done man. Daine373, have you ever heard the expression 'All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing' ? Matthew didn't go there to fight the guy, he stepped in to separate a man who was BEATING HIS WIFE IN PUBLIC. Given what the guy did to a total stranger, what would he have done to the woman if someone hadn't stepped in? I'm horrified this poor young man was so badly hurt but he saved a life, as far as i'm concerned.

• Who effin cares anyways? the fat woman probably deserviced getting a beating frrom her husband. She probably was late with dinner or something. Besides, SHE ran away with the husband after the music guy was beat up. Now, if that tells you one thing, it tells yo this: SHE DESERVED HER BEATING IF SHE DID NOT WANT TO HELP HER HERO SAVER. The fat beyatch should have gotten beaten more, in my opinion. too bad for music guy. and his bandmates: dumbasses for standing by.

• Well my assumption based on the lumps in little Matty's head say he trifled with the wrong man at the wrong time. "Despite being half the guy's size, Matthew intervened..." Now I ain't a mathematician, but I know when certain shit doesn't add up. I'm 5'7 135lbs. If I spotted some burly 6'8 250lb fella giving his woman the whatfor, I'm not touching that shit with a 10 ft pole. I ain't Bruce Lee. That's what police are for. You stay outta shit you can't handle.

• And the fanbase increases...1) it dosent rightly matter if theyre fairies, 2) if hes such a fairy he wouldnt have intervened with the motivation of getting "laid" as you say. 3) its likely these two in question were the type who get into knock down drag out fist fights as mentioned, she will likely Defend the man and lie for him in court when this goes to trial. That aside, the guys still a piece of shit for hitting a woman, any man who does that is a piece of shit regardless. She needs to break the cycle of violence shes caught up in and move on, but sadly that rarely happens. And what is it lately with the physiognomy revival? everyone making such determinations of personality based on ones appearances? Soon i imagine that phrenology will make a comeback as well and everyone will make assumptions of character based on various lumps in ones head....that would be funny. (though i'll admit certain aspects of physiognomy are very interesting.)

• It sounds crazy, but Alpha Male is strangely correct. We don't know truly what goes on between those two. They are probably one of those couples that do this on a regular basis. They probably have knock down drag out fist fights with each other much like Rihanna and Chris Brown. So yes, he should have minded his own damn business. A lot of dudes only jump in to try and play hero just because they think they're gonna get laid anyway. That was probably his whole reasoning for jumping in. Typical cocky rockstar bullshit. And the band looks like a bunch of fairies. Mind you I am woman saying this. I wish him a speedy recovery, but there's being brave and being smart. This asshole was not smart.

• I take it Alpha isn't a fan. Or a shock value reactionist perhaps. Tell me sport, do you Sincerely believe that verbiage you spouted, or do you just like being the center of negative attention to see how others will respond to your antics? No man has the right to hit a woman, and in this instance the intervention of mr. leone was righteous, I only wish i was reading " band member matthew leone beats the living hell out of wife beater in an astounding display of poetic justice with a twist of karma"....that would be nice. If you sincerely DO have such an attitude as the one above stated, then I hope you dont have a wife, or girlfriend, or anyone else to serve as your punching bag after a hard day at the office. (or in your instance most likely the kitchen at burger king.) Good day slugger...good day.

• Matthew Leon, you are a true piece of work. Next time you'll know not to intervene in any type of arguement that doesn't pertain to you. You look half a fag anyway, and you're probably a cuckold. This man was disciplining his old lady because he didn't want her making a fool of him, and here you go trying to play hero. Well, you got exactly what you asked for. You bitch. Fuck you. I wish you a slow a and painful recovery.

• that's a very brave guy. i also agree with what Mark said. the husband should be made to pay the medical bills. i hope he gets well and fully recovers.

• Poor guy. The wife better do the right thing.

• Mark, well said! I love the way you think.

• @ Mark I mainly want to say that I do agree after reading my own post (by making it brief ) I sound as if I was saying that he should have just walked on by and let this girl continue bieng beat.That isn't what I ment. Though I know you aren't saying that.Just to clarify and elaborate a little. In my case I am the abused and in another instance I was the one to step into a domestic situation. I know both sides of this coin. I just think that though I know, truly know why the girl ran it makes me kind of idk the word embarrased for her that she ran off with the guy. It is obvious, and I understand, she hadn't reached that point yet. I have seen families try and try to keep there loved ones away from there abusers, as the abusers try to keep said loved one from thier family to isolate.It is a battle usually with one of two or three endings. One not a happy ending. There is no doubt what Mr. Matthew Leone did was so powerful and I am humbled by it. We all know many would not have stepped up or stepped in. He is in my thoughts tonight.

• Wouldn't you think that the hospital would just let the medical expenses go as charity. In some states they will do that. And this is the reason we need Health Care. God Bless him.

• @iLLusionS: I don't think it was all for naught. Matthew Leone's heroic example not only may have inspired others to not look the other way, despite the risks, but it has reignited awareness of Domestic Abuse, started the founding of River People Against Domestic Violence Group, got plenty of Media Attention and a throng of devoted followers for his band Medina Lake, and maybe, just maybe, will help convince the woman whom he intervened for to eventually break the cycle of abuse and leave her abuser. I bet Matthew Leone is the kind of person who would say if he were to relive that evening he would have done the same thing, because not only was it the *RIGHT* thing to do, but because in the end it *WAS* worth it. Personally, rather than see the negative and lose faith in humanity, I see strength and goodness in unfortunate situations like this that attest to how amazing humans truly can be. His brother Nathan put it best in the latest Press Release saying: "When something like this happens people are often inclined to despise humanity but in this case, the outpouring of love and support from friends, family, fans, neighbors, etc. has far overshadowed that notion and has proven to us that although there are certainly some evil people in the world, there are far more amazing people."

• @Mark and Marcie, Matthew was walking alone to meet his friends. I read another article that gave this info, I know this article doesn't make that clear.

• the woman's husband was beating her, a selfless human being quite possibly saved her life, and she ran off? in the interest of protecting her husband no doubt. i know i'm going to get shit for berating a domestic violence victim, but ffs, i hope the next beating she gets is with common sense.

• Stuff like this also hinders people from even bothering to get involved, the woman primarily isn't going to leave the sack of shit if and until she is ready and you have intervened for nothing. Don't get me wong this guy is awesome for stepping in to defend a woman. But in the end it changed nothing and look where this poor guy is.

• "Although, I would like to think that his attacker would have to pay those, and what he is unable to pay, would have to pay off through Work Release from Prison. Once his debt to Matthew Leone is paid in full, then he can get Parole. Does that sound fair?" Capital idea, Mark. Though I don't think his brother was there. Sounds like he's just recounting Matthew's story, or maybe other witnesses.

• Domestic violence is indeed akin to being held hostage-been through it and so have alot of folks out here. I am sure that woman somewhere in her mind wanted to help that fine example of a man that tried to help her but that would be risking her own life/well being. I do hope this guy makes it through all of this so he can assist in the prosecution of that sack of shit.

• Kudos to Matthew Leone for being a good and true man and intervening. The world needs more people like Matthew. Hopefully he will have a successful recovery. I also hope that enough people donate to help offset his medical bills. Although, I would like to think that his attacker would have to pay those, and what he is unable to pay, would have to pay off through Work Release from Prison. Once his debt to Matthew Leone is paid in full, then he can get Parole. Does that sound fair? It is sad that the woman who was being physically abused would go back to her abuser. She's not the first victim of Domestic Abuse to do so, and probably won't be the last either. Battered Woman Syndrome is sad, but real. You can't really place blame on her for having it and doing what she did even after a stranger came to her rescue. Although I have to ask, what was Nathan doing? Why didn't he jump in to help out his bro? Not judging or anything, but it sounds like he witnessed events, so I'm just not understanding why didn't he do something to stop his brother being brutally assaulted?

• Marcie, domestic abuse has nothing to do with liking to be treated like shit. Your statements have very little understanding of how domestic violence works. Comments like that only intensify the shame that those going through domestic violence already feel and actually make reaching out for help harder.

• I've been through some pretty serious domestic violence. Frankly if my ex had beat this man to a pulp in front of me and then told me - with no one else to defend me around - I was coming home with him, you can bet your ass I'd have gone home with him. It doesn't make her complicit, it makes her a hostage, if that's what happened.

• Well, I commend him on taking a risk to help that Woman. Kinda crappy that she left with her husband leaving the dude to bleed.

• Why do I think she'll recant?

• so the husband beats the wife. the husband beats matthew. then the wife and husband run off? and the bandmates saw this and didn't try to help? im pretty sure 2 against one is better,right? 3? i ask myself to many questions. this sucks, the wife should get charged too,she just ran away and left a poor kid half dead. im pretty sure her husband beat her before and she still stayed with him. i dont understand why woman and men like to be treated like shit. when a personal verbally abuses you or physically abuses you, your first step should be to leave and never return. well,call the cops if you're being physically abused. you get the point. now this kid is suffering the consequences and he's not even related to them. :(

• Fully agree. I hope and pray he will fully recover and the pus nozzle who attacked him and the woman gets the entire book thrown at him.

• Wow, I really hope this guy gets what is coming to him. Matthew Leone, you are a hero and I hope you recover fully.

TotalComments: 73