Security guard paralyzed after trying to break up fight; assault suspect wanted

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Authorities are searching for a man suspected of assaulting a security guard in the Gaslamp Quarter.

The assault happened June 16 around 3:30 a.m. on a sidewalk in the 500 block of F Street, San Diego Crime Stoppers and investigators from San Diego Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.

The 24-year-old security guard was trying to break up a fight between two men when one of the men punched the security guard in his face with a closed fist, authorities said. Both the suspect and security guard fell to the ground, and authorities believe the suspect dragged the guard down with him, police said. The security guard then hit his neck on the curb.

The security guard was taken to a hospital to be treated for a fractured vertebrae and other injuries, authorities said. He is now paralyzed from the waist down.

Authorities said the suspect left the scene in an unknown direction. He is described as a Black man in his mid-20s, 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing around 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.

A $1,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the case. Authorities advise to call SDPD’s Central Division at 619-744-9512 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477.

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