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Everett police may consider murder charges linked to assault

By Ranji Sinha, KIRO 7 News
By Ranji Sinha, KIRO 7 News
Aftermath of Everett assault caught on camera that has documented so-called Tweakerville.
Everett police say a homeless man could soon face murder charges after police say he kicked a man violently in the head. The aftermath was captured by a livestream camera that's gained notoriety for keeping tabs on part of town some call Tweakerville, the 3600 block of Smith Avenue in Everett.
The video footage shows the moments before and after the victim succumbs to his injuries. Everett police say the victim was brought to Providence Medical Center late Monday night, is listed in critical condition and it's not likely that he will survive.
Gary Watts, the owner of Z Sport in Everett, showed the livestream webcam. The camera has been followed by people around the world as it documents the happenings in the block that sits just to the south of Z Sport.
Watts expressed concern about the assault and its potential to become a murder, but it also wasn’t a huge surprise.
“You become hardened to a lot of that activity ... and that's a shame.”
Watts made headlines when he set up his livestream. He wanted to catch crime on camera and late Monday that camera showed just how dangerous the area can be. The camera captured the aftermath of the assault that officials fear could turn deadly.
Everett police say the victim, a homeless man, was kicked in the head and had severe head trauma when police arrived on scene shortly after 11 p.m. The video shows the man sitting and trying to collect himself near a fence along the street. He spends roughly 20 minutes trying to maintain his stability and even leans on the fence, but eventually he falls unconscious to the ground.
John Stolzenberg works at Z Sport as security and often keeps tabs on the livestream camera. He watched some of the action Monday night and saw the victim in rough shape.
“He went down there and people rushed, 911 had already been called,“ he said.
Stolzenburg cued up the moments when the victim is sitting on the ground, but is clearly in distress.
“He's starting to feel it, I see at the time I didn't know what was going on,” he said.
Stolzenberg says he watches the camera and even interacts with a number of the people who call the block home. He says the victim and the alleged assailant were regulars.
“They used to kind of watch over these people ... I've watched both of them help people” He said the alleged assailant and the victim would often break up fights or try to keep the peace. 
As she waited for the bus, across the street from where the victim collapsed, Jackie Allaire says the homeless are rarely violent from her perspective.

Cox Media Group

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