Readers react to Marine's attack on Greek priest

[Jason Ludwig shot this photo from his Channelside balcony as the priest was loaded into an ambulance.]

Audio: Accused Marine tells Bubba the Love Sponge he's not gay

Nov. 12 update: Accused Marine tells his side to Bubba the Love Sponge

Nov. 11 update: Tow-truck driver says Marine attacked him, too

*****

Nov. 10 -- Today's story on the Marine reservist who allegedly beat and chased a Greek priest he thought was an Arab terrorist quickly became our most popular story and one of the most discussed on tampabay.com.

The priest, who is visiting from Crete, Greece, was lost in Tampa and stopped in a parking lot. He asked Jasen D. Bruce for help, but instead Bruce struck the priest on the head with a tire iron.

Bruce, shown on right with his lawyer Jeff Brown, then chased the priest for three blocks to the Madison Avenue and Meridian Avenue, police said, and even called 911 to say that an Arabic man tried to rob him. Police arrested Bruce on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and are investigating whether he committed a hate crime.

Readers are expressing outrage over Bruce's actions:

"Way to go for hunting down those terrorists!" VacantSea wrote.

Moshekatan wrote simply: "God (Help) Bless America!"

"Idiot. In Greece, they have been fighting Muslim extremism longer than the Marines have existed!" wrote Mike Norris on tampabay.com's Facebook fan page.

Several other Web sites have picked up the story, adding their own twist to the headlines:

DailyKos: I Fear More Of This To Come

Talking Points Memo: Really, What Can You Say?

HuffingtonPost: Greek Orthodox Priest Attacked By Marine Reservist In Fit Of Anti-Muslim Hysteria

Fark: Marine reservist attacks Greek Orthodox priest with a tire iron, then calls police to brag he's caught a terrorist

Think Progress: Marine reservist chases, assaults Greek Orthodox priest whom he mistook for an Arab terrorist

What's your take? Register to comment and have your say.

Comments

[Anonymous and MAD]

Do you people seriously think that we know Jasen is guilty simply because he's a marine? No, even you steroid-popping gym rat idiots aren't dumb enough to believe that. We know he's guilty because he has a history of popping off at the crown. They should have left him in jail when he assaulted the tow truck driver. He's such a hot-head tough guy who has to have his 'roid buds walk outside with him. Geez. He is a disgrace to the uniform and should be stripped of it. Then he can claim the government sexually assaulted him when they strip his uniform off his back.

[NoneyaBiz]

angie.hill... I work for Organizing for American (Obama's team of community volunteers), and I also worked for Obama 2008 campaign doing logistic coordinating and volunteer coordinating, etc. There is no "public record" of anyone who worked as a volunteer for the campaign. So, unless he was a paid staff member... which he was not, YOU ARE LYING! Now that's not to say he did not volunteer or support our President in his bid for POTUS. But, there is NO public record of it, period!

[angie.hill]

LOL at all of you saying Jasen in a right winger and fox news crap lol. I have know him for years and all of u that know him know he was heavly involved n Obama,s election campain here in Tampa its all public record idiots. He is the most liberal person i know and i have known him since he went to U.T. What he did was wrong but please dont spin it into something he is not. Jasen is a Left wing nut and always has been!!! Ask anyone who works out at the powerhouse gym! I love how every one assumes he is a right wing nut cause he in is the military..

[Simon Whifflepin, Marquess of Puddingshire]

"If you haven't listen to the entire interveiw with bubba The love sponge,but instead go off the imbelished Tv media,"cause they never imbelish anything"and you think jason is guilty etc"

Why is the ability to meet normal adult standards of literacy exclusive to one side of this debate?
COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT.

[pitchfork]

Hey Bruce...The general officers ranks of the USMC who have been covering the toxic water of Camp Lejeune for the past 30 years are terrorists. Do your magic on them!

You've got to be dumber than a box of rocks.

[John]

This reservist has to be the exception!I would hate to think that the US Marines is filled with idiots.
Greeks gave us our alphabet, our language,western civilization, and they have been fighting muslims, Turks,etc since before Christ was born,someone please give them a history lesson in the Amred Forces, make it mandatory!!!

[AJ Austin]

THE MEDIA LEADS THIS LYNCH MOB. SO...a Marine MUST be the bad guy because a lil 'ol priest could NEVER be involved in anything less than an appropriate situation? Keep being lead around on the leash held by the media and you will always end up in the same place, Information Purgatory. Lay off of the preconceptions and actually look at all of the facts involved with the situation, not just the ones that keep you feeling safe in your own little corner of the world. Not every priest is a pervert and not every Marine is a high strung soldier ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Common sense would tell you that its a bit of an extreme to decide to hit a man,unprovoked, with a tire iron, or call 911 to tattle on yourself. We are not talking about a little tiny old priest either, you may think so considering the media outlets failed to mention that this is a 29 year old 200+ pound man who just happened to have found himself lost into a passcard protected parking garage...seriously odd anyway you look at it. If this were 2 untitled people in the same situation you would see it in a different light. Marine versus Priest. sounds bad. but if it where a guy approached another guy in a PRIVATE SECURE parking garage the story would be Man defends himself from sexual attack and protects community by giving chase to SUSPECT. but its laid out as MARINE assaults PRIEST. They could have said PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER BODYSLAMS GRANDMOTHER. Same reaction, its not the situation people are reacting to but the professions of the 2 men involved. Just be open to the idea that not every priest is infallible and marine does not equal murderer.

[steve B army]

If you haven't listen to the entire interveiw with bubba The love sponge,but instead go off the imbelished Tv media,"cause they never imbelish anything"and you think jason is guilty,becauce priest have never been known to touch other men or boy's.then you are one of the biggest sheep out there,and keep beleiving what those priest's tell you,you bunch of sheep, even after they may or may not molest one of your kids!!!

[Marc]

Hey JC, Bruce is a GREAT guy? What crack have you been smoking...and now trying to pile onto the many accusations:

The Priest has mental problems
or
The Priest (who isn't Muslim) screamed Allah Akbar
or
The Priest grabbed Jasens Testicles
or
The Priest tried to rob Jasen
or
The Priest scared Jasen

What is next? The Priest is an alien from Mars and that will justify caving in his skull with a tire-iron?

You guys are all nuts!

[JC]

It seems as though the media drove away with this one. Bruce is a great guy and the priest has mental problems. Just wait till its all over and the truth prevails. Everyone will owe Bruce an apology.

[walterschick]

It's odd no thuggies have attacked him, oh that's right, he won't beat on someone probably carrying a gun.........
Thinks his crap doesn't stink, but his 'roids give him away.

[Trust Nobody]

Pharmacy Manager? He's probably skimming the roids and Oxy's.

[George`]

Reading the story about how Jasen and his gym buddies threatened the tow truck operator made me wonder what the DEA would find in their gym bags.

Also made me wonder about the kind of people who frequent Calta's gym.

[Joe]

I think we should hear our marine's fair words about this case. I mean priests are not always the good guys. There have been many priests known to sexually assault somebody. I'm not putting down priests in anyway. I think we should give fair chances to both. I mean he did devote his life for the country

[Chris]

Way to tell one side of the story, St. Pete Times

[Gulf War Vet, US Navy]

I love it when I hear a Marine tell me that the Corps take higher test scorers than the Navy. BS!

[RYAN]

What he did was right. Instead of everyone thinking he's the bad guy last time i checked priests shouldn't be in a dark parking garage grabbing men. WAKE UP PEOPLE. Just because he is a Marine everyone is making him up to be the bad guy.

[Pete]

It's interesting that you all seem to have more hatred for this Marine/Reservist than the terrorist who MURDERED 13 people at Ft. Hood. What this Marine/Reservist did was wrong and inexcusable. He deserves full punishment. However, where is the outcry against the MURDERER in Ft. Hood?

[Edward Ringwald]

And one more thing I forgot to mention: If Jasen Bruce is indeed convicted of a hate crime, as part of his conditions of his sentence Jasen needs to be banned from Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties for life. After all, a stalker in St. Pete Beach got banned for life from St. Pete Beach as part of the judge's restraining order back in 2006 (see the article "Maybe Now Her Stalker Will Stop", published in the St. Petersburg Times on 24 November 2006).

[Edward Ringwald]

After reading about Jasen Bruce's previous run-in with a tow truck driver a couple of years ago it is quite clear: Jasen's conduct in civilian life is an absolute disgrace to his country and the Marine Corps, as well as the Tampa/St. Petersburg area in general.

Not only Jasen Bruce needs to be charged with a hate crime, he also needs to be dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps. From what I understand being charged with a hate crime is a felony, and if Jasen is convicted he will have a felony record that will follow him for the rest of his life - and that will mean the end of his career with his current employer.

Based on his conduct and behavior, Jasen Bruce is a danger to society and by rights he should have been given no bond, which means he would have to stay in jail until trial. After all, that Greek priest did not do anything wrong - all the Greek priest was doing was asking for directions.

[dj]

That Marine drives a Jag lives in a cool condo in Channelside, works out in tony hyde park. He is a 'roid monster making money selling the drugs illegally lock'em up

[re: Tommy]

I own a GPS! Does that mean I should be clobbered on the head with a tire iron?

[Tommy]

Are all you people really this stupid? The media covering this has certainly got you all drinking the koolaid... When does an assalaint ever call 911 while commiting a crime? Also, the whole thing was caught on video, which the police have yet to watch... To judge what happened based on the reporting of the news is crazy... The preist is not TINY... he is between 225 and 245 lbs. he is certainly not in the same shape or fitness as the marine... Another point is if the guy had GPS why is he asking someone for directions? All you people that convict before knowing the facts should be ashamed...

[Kline]

The Quran's commandments to Muslims to wage war in the name of Allah against non-Muslims are unmistakable. They are, furthermore, absolutely authoritative as they were revealed late in the Prophet's career and so cancel and replace earlier instructions to act peaceably. Without knowledge of the principle of abrogation, Westerners will continue to misread the Quran and misdiagnose Islam as a "religion of peace.

[Ivan Dihoff]

All horrible details aside, one look at
the "military gentleman" should convince anyone that the Priest was confronted by a very unintelligent individual, trained to kill and be proud of it. Where is his loud motorcycle and his all-leather
uniform?