A 39-year-old man has been charged with attacking KTSP anchor Matt Belanger on a light rail platform in Minneapolis.
Police charged Vennie William with assault.
Belanger posted a Facebook video recounting the attack. In the video, he was wearing a patch over his injured eye.
“A man who I do not know, suddenly, from close range, threw something at my face and it had enough force to cause some damage to my left eye,” he said.
The anchor said he also suffered internal bleeding.
According to the police complaint, while he was in the back of a squad car, Williams told them why he did it.
“During his rant, Defendant made statements indicating that he had assaulted Victim because he perceived that Victim was homosexual,” the complaint said.
Belanger’s assault caused a corneal and ocular abrasion, which could cause permanent damage, authorities told Twin Cities.com.