Man Attacks 13-Year-Old Who Wouldn't Take Hat Off During National Anthem

A 39-year-old man from Montana is facing felony assault charges after he allegedly attacked a 13-year-old boy at the Mineral County fairgrounds. Police say that Curt James Brockway asked the boy to remove his hat during the national anthem, but the boy cursed him out and refused to take off his hat.

Brockway responded by grabbing the boy by his throat, lifting him into the air and slamming him down onto the ground.

Taylor Hennick had just arrived at the fairgrounds and paused near the entrance when she heard the "Star-Spangled Banner" begin to play. While she was standing there, she heard a "pop" and looked over to see Brockway standing over the young boy.

"There was a little boy lying on the ground," she told the Missoulian. "He was bleeding out of his ears, seizing on the ground, just not coherent."

Brockway attempted to justify his vicious assault to bystanders.

"He said (the boy) was disrespecting the national anthem, so he had every right to do that," Hennick said.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and then airlifted to Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, where he was treated for fractures to his skull. The boy has been released from the hospital and continues to recover at his home.

"It's just a lot of pain in my head. I don't remember anything – the rodeo – the helicopter – nothing," the teen told KPAX.

Authorities arrested Brockway and charged him with assault on a minor, which is a felony. He was released under his own recognizance and has a court hearing scheduled for August 14.

Photo: Montana Department of Corrections