Oak Lawn man describes violent weekend attack

Dallas - A man says he was called a gay slur and attacked in the Oak Lawn neighborhood of Dallas early Saturday morning when he stepped out to walk a friend’s dog.

It’s the 17th attack in that neighborhood since September.

Craig Knapp says around 3a.m. he was walking the dog on Dickason Avenue, one block off Cedar Springs Road, when he heard a man’s voice from behind, asking his dog’s name. Knapp says a second later one of the two guys standing behind him grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed him to the ground.

“The African-American pushed my head into the pavement and he was kicking me as he pushed my face into the pavement. He used a cuss word and called me an (expletive). The other guy didn’t do anything. He just said let’s go, let’s go. Then they ran into the neighborhood,” said Knapp.

Knapp said he was so disoriented from the beating that he let go of the dog’s leash, but, thankfully, the dog was found unharmed a few blocks away.

In addition to the cuts on his face, Knapp says he has a lot of bruises and pain from being kicked.

Knapp describes the attacker as African American, wearing a hoodie and had a gold tooth. Anyone with information is asked to call Dallas Police.

Attack victims, looking for help, can reach out to the non-profit group SOS: Survivors Offering Support on Facebook or by emailing sos.dfw.tx@gmail.com