A Texas man is seeking justice after he claims he was violently attacked by a group of white security guards at a local strip club in Dallas.
What was supposed to be a night of fun for Jalen Bell, 24 and an out-of-town friend, soon turned violent after Bell said a group of bouncers hurled racial slurs at him as they choked and assaulted him inside XTC Cabaret Dallas on Sunday. The brutal attack left Bell, a Navy veteran, with a black eye and several fractured ribs.
“My whole body is sore,” he told local station WFAA 8. “People think it can’t happen to them, and it can happen to you. And it’s just horrible. It’s a horrible feeling.”
Bell shared photos of his injuries in a Facebook post on Monday and detailed the events that preceded the attack. He explained that he and a friend were celebrating Cinco de Mayo at the club when another patron put out a cigarette in his drink, which he says he mistakenly set down in their reserved section. A war of words ensued, but Bell said he and his friend decided to leave after the confrontation.
https://www.facebook.com/Jalen.Bell990/posts/10156533641075362
The group of security guards were waiting for them at the exit, however. That’s when Bell claims the guards “beat them both like animals without any provocation at all.”
“They called me ‘nigger’ as they punched, stomped and grabbed my throat with such force I felt my trachea beginning to snap,” he wrote. “They cracked my ribs and injured my eyes, jaw and back.”
Bell’s post has been shared over 16,000 times, drawing outrage from friends and followers.
Bell’s attorney, Lee Merritt, said he’s hoping there’s security footage of the incident so that the bouncers involved can be identified and properly prosecuted. He stated that he and his client are considering taking legal action against the strip club.
” … We believe this is an extension of a culture of racial violence that is spreading in the United States and is a problem in Dallas County,” he said at Wednesday press conference.
XTC Cabaret Dallas released the following statement in response to the incident:
“XTC Cabaret Dallas has a zero tolerance policy for any kind of discrimination. Our club has a very diverse clientele, equally diverse management and staff, and has been in business a long time. Our initial understanding is that this incident involved what was deemed to be an unruly customer. We are continuing to investigate the incident internally and ask the community to be patient until that is concluded.”
