The man who intervened to stop a vicious attack on a T-Mobile Center employee is speaking out — and his reason for stepping in is as heartfelt as it is courageous.
FOX4 first reported the story of 66-year-old Thomas Schlange, a 17-year veteran guest services employee at T-Mobile Center, who was violently assaulted while simply trying to do his job.
Now, the only person who physically intervened — while others recorded or stood by — is sharing what he witnessed that night and why he couldn’t remain a bystander.
“Thomas is backing everybody back — he’s just doing his job telling everybody to clear the stairway and all of that and the kid just keeps coming down,” said Antonio Clayter, the man who stopped the attack.
The video, which has been viewed millions of times on social media, shows a disturbing scene: Schlange being punched repeatedly by a teenager inside T-Mobile Center.
But it’s that very footage that captures a pivotal moment — a man pulling the teen off Schlange mid-assault.
“The kid just pushed him; he just spazzed out and he pushed him,” Clayter explained.
In the video, Schlange stumbles backward, falling into Clayter just as the attack escalates.
As the punches continue, Clayter acted without hesitation.
“I had to,” he said. “It wasn’t even a feeling; it was something that had to be done. I have family members that are that age. This isn’t right. I was raised with morals and values. You can’t act like that, especially to our elders.”
For Clayter, the choice to intervene wasn’t impulsive — it was deeply personal.
“You can’t grow up with that type of mentality because you’re not going to get far in life at all…me, myself, I’ve been in trouble; I know what road that you can go down; you’re not going to get anywhere good besides prison or dead,” he said.
FOX4 reached out to the juvenile court system Wednesday, but no case file has yet been received from the Kansas City Police Department. Police are expected to meet with Schlange on Friday as part of the ongoing investigation.
As for Schlange, he remains at home recovering from serious injuries but is expected to be okay.
The video continues to spark conversation not just in Kansas City but across the country, and FOX4 will continue to follow every development as the story unfolds.
