Michael Savage attacked after dinner Tuesday night

Michael Savage in an altercation after dinner near his San Francisco Bay Area

Michael Savage, who is heard week nights on WWBA 820 AM, part of the News Talk Florida family, says he was assaulted by a man as he was leaving a restaurant in Tiburon, a town in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tuesday night.

The man shouted something at Savage and made fun of his legal name before knocking him to the ground, Savage’s attorney Daniel Horowitz said Wednesday. Another restaurant customer, who intervened in the fracas, was punched in the face.

In a statement released Wednesday morning to the 415 Media blog, Savage said the man called out to him: “Are you Michael Weeener (sic)?” Savage said he turned to the man and said, “Go away, I don’t know who you are.”

Horowitz said it’s still not entirely clear what motivated the alleged assault but his office is looking into whether it was a hate crime or whether it had anything to do his client’s political views and his support of Trump, both of which he frequently talks about on his “Savage Nation” nationally syndicated radio show.

Savage has been described as the “Godfather of Trumpmania” for encouraging his 10 million listeners to vote for the new president. Savage’s support of Trump made headlines last month when the president said of him, after an hour-long dessert meeting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida: “I wouldn’t be president without this man.”

After Savage told the man to “go away,” he started to turn. Horowitz said it appears that the man knocked Savage to the ground while also pushing 12-year-old Teddy out of the way.

At that point, another customer from the restaurant intervened, and Savage’s alleged assailant punched him in the face, Horowitz said. Savage was somehow able to get back up and help the Good Samaritan while also calling police.

No one fled the scene, with the involved parties staying to give their statements to officers. Nilsen said the officers were working on the report to send to prosecutors for review.

Horowitz said Savage wasn’t hurt in the fight, and it doesn’t appear anyone else was either.  He said Savage may have seen his alleged assailant earlier in the bar of the restaurant.

“He called me from the scene,” Horowitz said, referring to Savage. “Truthfully, I think he was more furious than anything.  He was saying he had just wanted to go out and have a nice dinner. He said, ‘This guy can’t get away with that.’”

Horowitz suggested it’s unlikely his client was the aggressor, given that he’s 5 foot 6 inches tall and 75 years old. Savage denied he provoked the attack: “He moved toward me to push me down, and he shoved my 10-pound poodle out of the way to get to me. He has lied and said I pushed him. That is absurd. Both of my hands were holding onto things.”

Horowitz said his client, who lives in Marin County, had finished up a quiet dinner alone at Servino Ristorante. He had a bag of leftover food in one hand and his constant companion, his toy poodle Teddy, in another.

Thanks to TMZ and The Mercury News for quotes used in this story.  

Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.