San Jose

Fight Unfolds Outside Furry Convention in San Jose

NBCUniversal, Inc.

A handful of good Samaritans who had just left the annual FurCon Convention in San Jose Friday jumped in to help the victim of a domestic violence attack.

The event at the convention center had just ended when Kin Z. Shiratsuki turned the corner and heard a woman screaming.

“This guy was just walloping a lady,” Shiratsuki said. “He had to have hit her 10 times.”

She and others opened the car door, pulled the man off the victim and out of the car.

“I’ve had my whole life, a bunch of taekwondo and karate,” said Shiratsuki. “I was able to grab him by the back, pull him out of the vehicle and put him on the ground with as little violence as I could.”

They held him until San Jose police arrived and made an arrest.

Their courageous act was all the talk at FurCon this weekend. The annual convention of folks who express themselves creatively as characters in fur suits.

Kin’s fellow furries were proud.

“Even though we’re wearing animal costumes, we’ve got some humanity as well,” said Khord Kitty. “It’s just a natural thing to want to help someone in need.”

The Sunnyvale artist says that’s really all he was trying to do.

“I just couldn’t sit there and watch that,” Shiratsuki said. “I’ve been a victim of abuse myself.”

Demetri Hardnett

Police arrested a 22-year-old San Jose man Demetri Hardnett on a charge of domestic violence.

Contact Us