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Man accused of attacking woman in downtown hotel appears in court

The man accused of attacking a woman in one of Seattle's largest downtown hotels appeared in court Monday morning.

Court document say that Patrick Brooks attacked a woman on Nov. 29 at the Westin Hotel. The documents indicate he choked her and tried to sexually assault her.

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During this morning’s arraignment the Judge Sean O’Donnell asked simply, “Is your true name Patrick Hunter Brooks?” His only reply was, “It is.” After that Brooks barely uttered any more words as he stood in court.

It was late November when authorities said Brooks, 20 -- who had just moved to Seattle from Virginia -- followed a female guest into the Westin Hotel and tailed her into an elevator.

On the 14th floor, the woman identified in court documents as "AL" got off and the suspect followed and attacked her. In the court documents, she indicated that her screams drew attention and may have prevented the suspect from raping her.

Brooks’ attorney entered a plea of not guilty. The matter then turned to a form and order to surrender weapons and firearms. Brooks may have entered a plea related to his charges, but his attorney said that he would assert his Fifth Amendment rights and did not sign an order related to giving up his firearms.

His attorney said she was asserting his rights out of caution. Judge O’Donnell said asserting Fifth Amendment rights usually arises when someone has a prior criminal history, and stated Brooks had none. A hearing on the firearms surrender and Fifth Amendment rights invocation was set potentially for Monday.

Brooks' appearance in court Monday only lasted a few minutes.

The King County Jail Roster listed Brooks as being held on charges of assault and rape, and his highest bail amount is listed as $300,000.