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((I knew the title would get you to read the story!! Ron) TAMPABAY.com TAMPA, FL Jasen Bruce, the 28-year-old Marine reservist who has remained silent since police accused him of hitting a Greek Orthodox priest over the head four times with a tire iron Monday, spoke publicly for the first time Thursday morning — with "Bubba the Love Sponge" Clem. Bruce sat down with the shock jock to speak on his syndicated morning show. He repeated his lawyer's account that the priest sexually attacked him, spoke of initially being heralded as a "hero" by police and declared his heterosexuality in the face of online pictures that show him flexing big muscles while wearing little clothing. Tampa Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy said police are still investigating and do not, at this point, want to give a blow-by-blow response to Bruce's version of the incident. But she did say, "his credibility is in question as part of our investigation." Police say the bearded, robed priest got bad directions from his global positioning device, was told to get off Interstate 275 and found himself driving around the Channel District. He followed a row of cars into the Seaport Channelside condominiums and approached Bruce, who was bent over the trunk of his car. He tapped on his shoulder before uttering, in broken English, the words "help" and "please." That's when, police say, Bruce hit him with the tire iron, chased him for three blocks and pinned him to the ground, keeping a 911 operator on the phone the entire time, saying he was chasing an Arab terrorist who tried to rob and sexually attack him. This is Bruce's account of the story, in his words: "I turned around and there was a man standing within two feet from me. Originally, I thought he was possibly a homeless guy about to ask for directions. But not more than a few seconds went by, and the man reached out, grabbed my genitalia, and the only English that came out of his mouth, he proceeded to say, 'I want to F you.' That was the only English he said. I proceeded to put my hands on him to back him off. "He had a tight grip on my genitalia. "When I put my hands on him, he put his hands on my neck, maybe to defend himself or maybe to aggress at me. I dropped to the ground because my hands were full. I had something on my shoulder, so I went to the ground, got out of this guy's hold, and since my trunk was open I proceeded to grab a tire iron, and I gave him two warnings." At this point, Bruce says, he called 911 and told the man not to take a step closer. The man took a step closer, he says, "So I defended myself. "This guy did not even flinch. … "He put his hands up, took two more steps toward me, and that's when I proceeded to defend myself again. … This time, the guy ran. "I'm thinking I'm not going to let this guy go. He knows where I live. … I have a family to defend. "So I chased him about — this is all on the 911 tape — three blocks. I circled the Grand Central apartment complex twice. I ended up in front of Powerhouse (Gym). Kept telling the guy, 'Stay right there. Stay right there.' That's when he turned around and lunged at me. … "And that was the last time I defended myself, which finally took the guy down. Simultaneously, the police pulled up." Later in the interview, Bruce gives a different account of what police saw. He said that when police arrived, the man was 50 feet away, sitting on a park bench. That's when, Bruce said, they approached the man. Bruce says the police called him later, when they found the man's car, and that they wanted Bruce to come down and give them details. He says the police let him search the priest's car, and that they found a suitcase. The police feared opening it, but Bruce put his ear up to it, he said. And he shook it. They asked, "What did this guy say to you again?" And he responded, "Some type of Akbar stuff." They asked if he knew what that meant, Allahu Akbar, an Arabic phrase for "God is Great" witnesses said was recently uttered by the Fort Hood shooting suspect. Bruce responded, "That's what they say before they blow you up." He said the police stepped back and allowed Bruce to open the suitcase. Without commenting on the specifics of the case, McElroy said that police would never allow someone to touch evidence. Other things Bruce said in the interview: He doesn't use steroids, though a Greek Orthodox church spokesman calls the attack "'roid rage." He modeled, but didn't pose for gay porn, though Web sites have posted photos of him in suggestive poses. He and his mother have received death threats. The police spokeswoman, who heard the radio interview Thursday morning, said "It's certainly his right to give his account on the radio, but we are focused on our investigation. … We said all along that his accounts didn't add up." One item she said she could talk about Thursday: He initially told police he was scheduled for deployment to Iraq in January. "That," McElroy said, "turned out not to be true." The priest, who told a church spokesman he forgives Bruce for attacking him, said he was shocked by the sex allegation and that it weighs heavily on his mind. A church spokesman said clergy are easy prey for such allegations. Police will collaborate with the state attorney's office to determine whether the attack should be classified as a hate crime, McElroy said. She said police have still not determined whether they will release the 911 tape, because the investigation is still ongoing. When asked whether the Times could interview Bruce, his attorney Jeff Brown said, "No. Not after the coverage you guys gave." When asked what reasoning went into the decision for Bruce to speak on the Bubba the Love Sponge show, Brown replied, "No comment. "Jasen Bruce, the 28-year-old Marine reservist who has remained silent since police accused him of hitting a Greek Orthodox priest over the head four times with a tire iron Monday, spoke publicly for the first time Thursday morning — with "Bubba the Love Sponge" Clem. Bruce sat down with the shock jock to speak on his syndicated morning show. He repeated his lawyer's account that the priest sexually attacked him, spoke of initially being heralded as a "hero" by police and declared his heterosexuality in the face of online pictures that show him flexing big muscles while wearing little clothing. Tampa Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy said police are still investigating and do not, at this point, want to give a blow-by-blow response to Bruce's version of the incident. But she did say, "his credibility is in question as part of our investigation." Police say the bearded, robed priest got bad directions from his global positioning device, was told to get off Interstate 275 and found himself driving around the Channel District. He followed a row of cars into the Seaport Channelside condominiums and approached Bruce, who was bent over the trunk of his car. He tapped on his shoulder before uttering, in broken English, the words "help" and "please." That's when, police say, Bruce hit him with the tire iron, chased him for three blocks and pinned him to the ground, keeping a 911 operator on the phone the entire time, saying he was chasing an Arab terrorist who tried to rob and sexually attack him. This is Bruce's account of the story, in his words: "I turned around and there was a man standing within two feet from me. Originally, I thought he was possibly a homeless guy about to ask for directions. But not more than a few seconds went by, and the man reached out, grabbed my genitalia, and the only English that came out of his mouth, he proceeded to say, 'I want to F you.' That was the only English he said. I proceeded to put my hands on him to back him off. "He had a tight grip on my genitalia. "When I put my hands on him, he put his hands on my neck, maybe to defend himself or maybe to aggress at me. I dropped to the ground because my hands were full. I had something on my shoulder, so I went to the ground, got out of this guy's hold, and since my trunk was open I proceeded to grab a tire iron, and I gave him two warnings." At this point, Bruce says, he called 911 and told the man not to take a step closer. The man took a step closer, he says, "So I defended myself. "This guy did not even flinch. … "He put his hands up, took two more steps toward me, and that's when I proceeded to defend myself again. … This time, the guy ran. "I'm thinking I'm not going to let this guy go. He knows where I live. … I have a family to defend. "So I chased him about — this is all on the 911 tape — three blocks. I circled the Grand Central apartment complex twice. I ended up in front of Powerhouse (Gym). Kept telling the guy, 'Stay right there. Stay right there.' That's when he turned around and lunged at me. … "And that was the last time I defended myself, which finally took the guy down. Simultaneously, the police pulled up." Later in the interview, Bruce gives a different account of what police saw. He said that when police arrived, the man was 50 feet away, sitting on a park bench. That's when, Bruce said, they approached the man. Bruce says the police called him later, when they found the man's car, and that they wanted Bruce to come down and give them details. He says the police let him search the priest's car, and that they found a suitcase. The police feared opening it, but Bruce put his ear up to it, he said. And he shook it. They asked, "What did this guy say to you again?" And he responded, "Some type of Akbar stuff." They asked if he knew what that meant, Allahu Akbar, an Arabic phrase for "God is Great" witnesses said was recently uttered by the Fort Hood shooting suspect. Bruce responded, "That's what they say before they blow you up." He said the police stepped back and allowed Bruce to open the suitcase. Without commenting on the specifics of the case, McElroy said that police would never allow someone to touch evidence. Other things Bruce said in the interview: He doesn't use steroids, though a Greek Orthodox church spokesman calls the attack "'roid rage." He modeled, but didn't pose for gay porn, though Web sites have posted photos of him in suggestive poses. He and his mother have received death threats. The police spokeswoman, who heard the radio interview Thursday morning, said "It's certainly his right to give his account on the radio, but we are focused on our investigation. … We said all along that his accounts didn't add up." One item she said she could talk about Thursday: He initially told police he was scheduled for deployment to Iraq in January. "That," McElroy said, "turned out not to be true." The priest, who told a church spokesman he forgives Bruce for attacking him, said he was shocked by the sex allegation and that it weighs heavily on his mind. A church spokesman said clergy are easy prey for such allegations. Police will collaborate with the state attorney's office to determine whether the attack should be classified as a hate crime, McElroy said. She said police have still not determined whether they will release the 911 tape, because the investigation is still ongoing. When asked whether the Times could interview Bruce, his attorney Jeff Brown said, "No. Not after the coverage you guys gave." When asked what reasoning went into the decision for Bruce to speak on the Bubba the Love Sponge show, Brown replied, "No comment. "
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