We Float: Communications

Article buried in the late night feed:

A 34-year-old man visiting from Pasco was assaulted by a group of young men early on Thursday in Pioneer Square, and the police said they were investigating the attack as a possible wild card bias crime.

The victim was in Swedish Medical Center in serious condition, said local police. A law enforcement official later identified the victim as Richard Barton.

Two men, believed to be in their mid 20s to early 30s, approached the man as he was getting into a taxicab about 2 a.m. on Thursday, Mr. Barton said. They slammed the door of the vehicle shut and then pursued him when he tried to get into another taxi. One of the men punched him in the face, causing him to fall and hit his head, Barton said.

“I got him good,” the assailant said, according to Barton. Barton did not cite any specific reason for the bias theory. The Police Department’s chief spokesman, declined on Thursday evening to say why investigators believe the attack to be a possible bias crime. It did not appear to be a robbery, since the man still had his wallet.

The police said they did not know where Barton had been just before the two men attacked him.

Part of 1st Avenue was still closed off in the afternoon, and bloody rags littered the street in front of the Victory Cafe. Gemma Hedro, the manager, said she had been told that a woman came to the door after the restaurant had closed and asked the cleaning staff for rags and ice, saying a man had been hurt.

“At that hour of the night it gets a little scarier.” Hedro said there had been attacks against wild cards periodically.“I think it is safe to say probably two or three times a year,” she said. “It certainly deters people coming down late in the evening. It is terrible. And getting worse.”

Saturday Night at Club Tar. The lights are on while everyone's home, and we're listening to the sounds of silence. Technical difficulties, or are the authorities technically being difficult?