Arnold Schwarzenegger responds after being kicked at event in South Africa
Written by News on 20/05/2019
Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken out after being attacked at an event in South Africa.
In a clip that emerged on Saturday, the actor and former California governor can be seen at the Arnold Classic Africa event in Johannesburg when someone runs up behind him and kicks him in the back.
The two-footed blow caused the Austria-born star to stumble forward into a crowd of people.
In the footage, a man is heard repeatedly screaming: “Help me, I need a Lamborghini.”
Shortly after the incident, Schwarzenegger re-takes his seat at the side of the court, seemingly unfazed by the attack.
Tweeting after the footage emerged, he said “Do me a favour: Instead of sharing the video of the guy who wants to be famous, watch some of our @ArnoldSports athletes like this young hero proving that fitness is for everyone who deserve to be famous. They’re on my Snapchat.”
He then shared a muted video of the incident and added: “And if you have to share the video (I get it), pick a blurry one without whatever he was yelling so he doesn’t get the spotlight.
“By the way… block or charge?”
A statement from the event organisers said he was “sadly and unexpectedly attacked by a crazed fan” after they had “breached security”.
It added: “Sandton Convention Centre security responded swiftly by apprehending the offender and handing him over to police.”
Wayne Price, an organiser of the event, said: “Arnold was in great spirits and very generous with fans and athletes alike.
“Mr Schwarzenegger is fine and still in good spirits. He still carried on with the activities as planned and is fully taking this in his stride.
“He even joked that some people got more excited than others.”
The competition organisers confirmed Schwarzenegger would not be pressing charges and sees the event as “an unfortunate incident by a mischievous fan”.
He later tweeted: “Update: A lot of you have asked, but I’m not pressing charges. I hope this was a wake-up call, and he gets his life on the right track. But I’m moving on and I’d rather focus on the thousands of great athletes I met at @ArnoldSports Africa.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Arnold Schwarzenegger responds after being kicked at event in South Africa
