Seattle police asking for help in identifying suspect in “vicious” beating and robbery

SEATTLE — Seattle police are asking for your help to identify the suspect behind a brutal attack in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood.

Police believe the attack was completely random and are concerned the suspect might target another victim. The video is tough to watch but police are asking you to pay specific attention to the red and yellow shirt the suspect is wearing, and to recall if you’ve seen that man.

The incident happened on July 28. A photographer from Los Angeles was on vacation in Seattle, when the attack happened in broad daylight at 6 p.m. in the 2800 block of Rainier Ave South, near Rainier and South Forest Street.

For people familiar with the area, the attack was behind the Cash America pawn shop, across the street from the Mount Baker transit center.

“It’s brutal. It’s vicious. It happened very quickly,” said detective-sergeant Ben Morrison of the robbery unit at the Seattle Police Department.

“The suspect stomped on his head several times. Once the victim was unconscious, the suspect rummaged through his pockets, took cash, cell phone and a couple of other items and walked away,” Morrison said.

He said detectives have been working the case, but are running into walls identifying the suspect.

“This bothers me absolutely,” Morrison said.

The suspect is described as a Black male who weighs 170-180 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall. But most notably, the attacker was wearing a red and yellow short-sleeve shirt with a distinct pattern. He was also wearing a red baseball cap, and black athletic pants with a white stripe down the sides.

Police are asking you to recall if you’ve seen that shirt in a social media post of a friend. They’re also asking people who work in the area to think back to that day and try to remember if they saw the man anywhere before or after the attack.

“We’re not going to relent, we’ll keep looking for clues, and we’ll keep looking for assistance and we’ll catch up to him,” Morrison said.

KIRO7 spoke with the victim after he got out of the hospital. He’s a Los Angeles-based photographer who goes by the name Caliber Visuals.

“The dude came up to me and tried to ask me what time it was, I told him I didn’t know,” Visuals said. “He grabbed my hand so I couldn’t get away from him,” he said.

“That’s when he just when he went into full attack mode,” Visuals said.

Seattle police are worried the suspect may target someone else.

“We are very concerned he will. That’s why we need any assistance from the community to identify him and get him off the streets,” Morrison said.

You can call SPD’s robbery unit with any information at 206-684-5535.

Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward — call (800) 222-8477.

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