SEATTLE — A man who was attacked with a hammer in a Downtown Seattle robbery last Friday has died from his injuries, the Seattle Police Department announced.
According to police, around 2:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, 34-year-old Christopher Martin went up to the victim at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street, hit him in the head with the hammer, and stole his backpack.
Seattle Fire Department medics provided aid to the victim at the scene before transporting him to Harborview Medical Center.
The charging documents state Martin was arrested shortly after the assault. With the victim dying from their injuries, the King County Prosecutor’s Office says they plan to file additional charges against Martin.
In surveillance video, Martin is seen following the 53-year-old with a hammer in hand. Once he is behind the man, Martin swings and hits him on the right side of the head. Once the man falls to the ground, Martin allegedly takes their backpack and runs off.
“We don’t want somebody who has this kind of violent behavior to roam the streets,” said Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
But prosecutors say because of Martin’s history, he should’ve been in custody rather than freely roaming the streets. Martin has been convicted of several misdemeanor assaults, as well as theft and robbery.
“Prosecutors believe that the same people who argued for his release should also be accountable to the public and to the court either to show the progress or the lack of it, which was the case here,” McNerthney said.