| 1994 Cobo Arena attack | |
|---|---|
 Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured here in 2007 | |
| Location | Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Date | January 6, 1994 ~2:35 PM (EST (UTC−05:00)) |
| Target | Nancy Kerrigan |
Attack type | Bludgeoning |
| Weapon | ASP telescopic baton |
Injured | Nancy Kerrigan |
| Perpetrators | Jeff Gillooly Shawn Eckardt Derrick Smith Tonya Harding (disputed) |
| Assailant | Shane Stant |
At around 2:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 6, 1994, American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was hit on the lower right thigh with a baton at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. She had just finished practising on an ice rink in the arena. Shane Stant did the attack with his uncle Derrick Smith. Smith was the getaway driver. They were both paid by Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckardt to injure Kerrigan so that she could not take part in the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating championships and 1994 Winter Olympics. Jeff Gillooly was the ex-husband of Nancy Kerrigan's rival in figure skating at the time, Tonya Harding.[1] Some people think Harding was also involved in the attack. Gillooly and Eckdardt both said that Tonya Harding knew about the attack, but Harding said that she didn't know about it.[2][3]
Kerrigan could not take part in the rest of the U.S. Championships because of the attack. She healed in time to take part in the Winter Olympics and got a silver medal. Harding took part in both the U.S. Championships and the Winter Olympics. Tonya Harding was banned for life from USFSA figure skating events. Harding had won the U.S. Championships, but had this taken away from her afterwards.[4]
- ↑ "Jeff Gillooly". geni_family_tree. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ↑ Hamilton, William (Jan 15, 1994). "Three Held in Assault on Kerrigan". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ↑ Janofsky, Micheal (Jan 15, 1994). "Third Suspect Arrested by F.B.I. In the Attack on Olympic Skater". New York Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ↑ Brennan, Christine (July 1, 1994). "Harding Stripped of Title; Banned for Life". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.