SD Police Seek Help Finding Assault Suspect During Attack in Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego police sought public help Tuesday tracking down the person who assaulted a security guard, leaving the victim partially paralyzed, during an altercation in the Gaslamp Quarter.

At about 3:30 a.m. June 16, a fight broke on the sidewalk in the 500 block of F Street, San Diego Police Department Detective Sgt. Wesley McDonald said. The exact circumstances surrounding the fight were unknown.

“During the altercation, a 24-year-old male security guard was attempting to break up a fight between two males, ” McDonald said. “The suspect punched the security guard in his face with a closed fist. The victim tried defending himself, and both the suspect and victim went to the ground. It appears the suspect dragged the victim down, causing the victim to strike his neck on the curb.”

The suspect then fled the area in an unknown direction, McDonald said.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of several major injuries, including a fractured vertebrae, and is now paralyzed from the waist down, McDonald said.

“There was a large crowd who witnessed this incident and most likely videotaped it on their cell phones,” McDonald said. “Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed this incident to contact them.”

The suspect was described as a man in his mid-20s, 6-foot-4 and weighing about 220 to 230 pounds. He was last seen wearing black pants, black and red tennis shoes, and a black shirt with a large red logo on the front and back of the shirt.

Anyone with information was asked to call SDPD’s Central Division at 619-744-9512 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the assailant.

–City News Service