Bias crime at Bellevue and Howell? - UPDATE

UPDATE 8/10/09 12:50 PM:
Seattle Police Department spokesperson Mark Jamieson says Sunday's incident is not currently being investigated by the bias crimes unit because there is no evidence that the beating was motivated by the person's gender or sexual preference.

The incident report from Sunday afternoon by the responding officer details that the victim and suspect were found sitting near each other on the sidewalk near Howell and Bellevue. The victim was bleeding from the head and mouth but the emergency crew who responded said his injuries were minor. The report did not indicate if the victim was transgendered as was reported by the e-mail CHS received about the incident (see the original report, below).

Three eyewitnesses including the person who called 911 to report the attack said they saw the suspect hold the victim down on the sidewalk and punch the man repeatedly in the head. No witnesses reported hearing any bias related statements from the suspect and the suspect said he knew the victim and that he thought both he and the victim should go to jail for fighting. The victim also did not say the attack was bias motivated when talking to the responding officer, according to the report.

According to Jamieson, the suspect was arrested but not immediately booked because he was transported to Harborview following the incident due to an unrelated medical condition.

Jamieson said it is still possible that the bias crime unit would get involved if new information becomes available.

Original report:
Received this note from neighbor Tiffany about an act of violence Sunday afternoon at Bellevue and Howell. It's a hard day to confirm that this is being investigated by the SPD's bias crimes unit but look for an update on Monday. SPD has its hands full after a violent weekend in the city. In the meantime, we can confirm that there was an emergency medical callout to this location just before 2p.

Apparently there was a hate crime again on Capitol Hill, this time at Bellevue and Howell. This afternoon, a transgender person was walking by this intersection with a friend, and they were both attacked due to the gender identity of the TG person. I live in the apartment building next to where this happened, and there were police and multiple ambulances that were here to take care of the injured. I did not see the actual assault, so don’t take this as a firsthand account, but I was informed later on by someone who works at a local market nearby. But I wanted to let you guys know about this, because I think that you guys letting the community know that this stuff is happening can only lead to good things.

If you saw anything this afternoon, let us know. More when we can get details from the police department.

UPDATE 8/10/09 8:51 AM:
We've confirmed that medics did treat a man at the scene for a head injury suffered in a fist fight but that he was not transported to the hospital. No victim information was available.

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