Denver police officer accused of hitting colleague who ended romance

[DavidDvorkin]

When you read that headline, which police officer do you immediately assume was the male and which one the female?

A Denver police officer faces a court hearing Tuesday stemming from a case in which investigators said she reached into a fellow officer's patrol car and hit him in the face days after he told her he was ending their romantic relationship.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24439035/denver-police-officer-accused-hitting-colleague-who-ended

[BillyRibs]

1. I always say

Never Shit where you eat!

[DavidDvorkin]

2. "Don't cheat on your spouse" is a good one, too.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Had it been reversed, the headline would say "assaulting" not "hitting". n/t

[Iggo]

4. I immediately assumed it was a male hitting a female.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. Me, too.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. I knew that it was the female hitting the male without reading the article.

When a male hits a female, headlines say "assault", "beat" or "batter". When a female strikes a male, the headlines say "slap", "hit" or "kick" or comparably diminutive language.