crime

Furries Band Together to Stop Domestic Assault in Progress

The furry pictured above was — as far as we know — not involved in the tussle. Photo: MICHELE TANTUSSI/Getty Images

A group of furries helped stop a domestic assault in progress on Friday night, tackling a man to the ground outside a San Jose convention and restraining him until police arrived. The incident, which occurred at Further Confusion (i.e., FurCon) was captured on camera by DJ Robbie Ryans. He described the altercation as “absolutely WILD” in a tweet, which feels accurate, if also somewhat understated.

Ryans reportedly exited the convention to have a cigarette when a blue car pulled up to the curb in front of him. “We heard a woman’s screams coming from inside and saw the passenger throwing full fists at whoever was driving,” Ryans told CNN. “We got up and ran towards the car, my friend pulled open the door, and we both held onto the attacker. The girl driver was yelling for him to get out, as he started trying to fight us off.”

But then, a group of fur-suited furries jumped into the fray, helping to restrain the man until police arrived. They arrested 22-year-old Demetri Hardnett on domestic-violence charges.

“This guy was just walloping a lady,” one of the convention attendees involved, Kin Z. Shiratsuki, told NBC. “He had to have hit her ten times.”

“I’ve had … my whole life, a bunch of Tae Kwon Do and Shotokan karate and I was able to grab him by the back, pull him out of the vehicle and put him on the ground,” Shiratsuki added. “I just couldn’t sit there and watch that. I’ve been a victim of abuse myself.”

Furries — if the above has not clarified the concept for you — are people keenly interested in hyper-anthropomorphized animals. They’re typically associated with the big, cartoonish, mascot-type suits on display in the video. And if you saw an overlarge neon cat barreling down the sidewalk at you, would you not feel The Fear? A very intimidating adversary, I think we can all agree.

Furries Band Together to Stop a Domestic Assault