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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Can You Love Two Men
at the Same Time?





'A Wall Street stock broker has been charged with assault after he became enraged during a cycling class at a posh health club and slammed a fellow member and his bike against a wall, according to a complaint.

Christopher Carter, 44, a broker at Maxim Investments Group, was at Equinox gym taking a spin class, a high-impact workout using stationary bikes. He apparently became so fed up by member Stuart Sugarman's hooting and grunting during the workout that he picked up Sugarman and his bike and hurled them into a wall.

"This is spin rage," said Samuel L. Davis, Sugarman's attorney.

Sugarman, 48, a Manhattan hedge-fund manager, suffered a back injury that required surgery to correct a herniated disc pressing on his spinal cord, Davis said.

Carter was charged with a misdemeanor assault and was released on his own recognizance Monday, according to the Manhattan prosecutor's office. A criminal complaint charges that Carter caused a back injury to Sugarman.

Carter's attorney Michael Farkas denied the claim.

"We intend to vigorously fight this charge," Farkas said. "We await the truth to come out, which will be a vastly different story than Mr. Sugarman's."



The incident took place last month at the Upper East Side gym, which is frequented by celebrities and wealthy business executives, Davis said. Sugarman, who weighs about 200 pounds, was enjoying the "euphoric experience" of cycling and was making noises to increase his high, according to Davis.

"Carter yelled over to him to shut up," Davis said. "My client yells back: 'This is spin class. If you don't like it, leave. Stop being such a baby,'" he said.

With that, Carter walked over to the bike, lifted it into the air and flipped it over, Davis said.

Sugarman got back on the bike and continued the class but stopped when he began to feel pain, Davis said. He called 911 from his cell phone and was taken to a hospital.'



---associated press---


*********************************

UPDATE:

STEWY GO BOOHOO


This story turns out to be a feast for language lovers.



'Mr Sugarman, 48, admits he whooped, groaned and shouted, "You go, girl!" during the class last month.

[Sugarman's lawyer] said: "Carter yelled over to him to shut up. My client yells back, 'This is spin class. If you don't like it, leave. Stop being such a baby'."

According to Mr Sugarman, Mr Carter repeatedly shouted at him to "Shut the **** up!" and charged over to him.

Mr Carter allegedly tilted the front wheel of the other man's bike a yard off the floor and flipped it into a wall.

Mr Sugarman continued the class but stopped when he began to feel pain, his lawyer said. He claims he needed surgery to correct a herniated disc and that a surgeon told him he was "one click away from a wheelchair".

However, the criminal complaint lodged against Mr Carter only accuses him of causing "sustained lower back pain".

Much to Mr Sugarman's annoyance, prosecutors are treating the assault as a misdemeanour rather than a felony. He said: "This wasn't just a playground fall where Stewy fell down and went boo hoo."'