HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Hooked up to an IV in his hospital room at Memorial Regional Hospital, Alfred Stewart, 31, showed Local 10's Jonathan Vigliotti what happened early Saturday morning while celebrating his friend's birthday.
"It happened so fast. He went to the bathroom and saw he was bleeding," said a friend, who helped translate for Stewart, who is deaf and uses sign language.
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Stewart was stabbed in the back early Saturday morning at Ocean's Eleven Lounge in Hallandale Beach. Stewart and his friends, all of whom are deaf, were using sign language when bar customers said the group was aggressively approached by Barbara Lee, 45.
Stewart said he didn't understand her at the time but was told by police that Lee confused their sign language for gang signs. Lee left the bar and returned with Marco Ibanez, 19. Armed with a knife, he attacked Stewart's friend.
"He was trying to stop the fight, and when he was stopping the fight things, got out of control and that's when he was stabbed in the back," said Stewart's translator.
Stewart was stabbed, his friend and the bar's bouncer were cut in what police described as a melee. Both Lee and Ibanez were arrested at the scene.
"It's sad that people using sign language can be confused for doing gang signs," said Stewart's mother, Brenda.
She has been by her son's bedside the entire day. She said she has worried for his safety ever since he lost his hearing in a childhood accident.
"I can't always be there. His sisters and brother can't always be there. I do worry for him," she said.
Both mother and son say mixed messages are no excuse for such hate.
"He says he's just happy to be alive," said Stewart's translator.
Stewart, his friend and the bar bouncer are expected to make full recoveries.
Lee and Ibanez are in police custody charged with assault with a deadly weapon.