CDA police searching for assault suspect

The Coeur d’Alene Police Department is searching for a man with the phrase “God hates cowards” tattooed on his neck in connection with an assault that happened at 216 E. Lakeside on Dec. 6. Police were called to the location at the time, but the man who said he was punched declined to press charges and declined medical treatment, according to a police press release. However, the man’s wife recently contacted police and told them her husband is in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. The woman told police that her husband got in an argument with three men outside a bar at 2:10 a.m. One punched him and the man fell backward and hit his head on the sidewalk. He has reportedly been in the hospital since Dec. 8. The man who threw the punch is described as a being around six feet tall in his 20s. His hair was long on top and shaved on the sides. He had several tattoos on his arms and neck. He was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and a green snowboarding jacket. Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect is asked to call police at (208) 769-2320 or send an email to policetips@cdaid.org.