Police Seek Help In Random Assaults

Police asked for the public’s help Sunday in solving a string of at least seven random assaults after another man walking downtown was beaten without apparent provocation.

The most recent assault occurred just before 7 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of 8th and Westlake avenues, about eight blocks east of the Space Needle monument.

The victim Saturday described his attackers as two white men and one black man between the ages of 25 and 30, KING TV reported Sunday evening. The witness described all three as having shaved heads and wearing red T-shirts and black baggy jeans, KING TV reported.

Attackers in six earlier assaults, all in downtown Seattle on the night of Aug. 31, had been described as black, ages 16-20, all with shaven heads and wearing red shirts.

All of the victims have been reported as white, but police have said that robbery, not race, appeared to be the primary motivation.

Police believe a group of five to eight men is responsible. They also say the attacks may be mimicking a string of random beatings in Tacoma during July and August, including one that left a man dead.