Seattle Police continue search for beating suspects  

04:02 PM PDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

By RAY LANE / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - Seattle investigators are looking for a group of men who attacked two soldiers outside a nightclub in Pioneer Square last month.

Seattle Police are asking the public for help identifying three suspects involved in a beating in Pioneer Square late last month.

Police say since the graphic home video of the attack was released Wednesday, they've been getting plenty of calls about the potential suspects, though no arrests have been made.

The video is difficult to watch. Two young men, both of them said to be soldiers just back from the war zone in Iraq, are beaten to the ground. One of them is stomped on the head.

Seattle Police say it happened on July 31 around 2:30 in the morning.

Police say one of the suspects apparently groped two women who were waiting in line at Larry's Nightclub. The husband of one of the women stepped in and an argument erupted.

That group decided to not to go to the club and was walking away when one of the women grabbed a hot dog and threw it at the man who had grabbed her.

Soon after that at First and Yesler the fight began.

The video appears to show this man stomping on the head of one victim and later removing the man's shoes.

For an area of Seattle that's still trying to shake off the notorious Mardi Gras riots of four years ago -- it's another black eye.

Michael Libertella lives right above the nightclub.

"I think it's horrible,” he said. Nobody should be beating anybody up for stupid nonsense. It's nothing important. It has to do with people losing control and getting crazy."

"That can happen anywhere,” said Ghretta Hockette. “I don't think it's necessarily because it's Pioneer Square. From what I hear it's gotten a lot better than it was a long time ago, and that's great."

But it’s not better for the two men nursing the most serious of injuries - broken jaws, split lips, possible broken arms.

Police want your help in identifying three suspects involved in the early morning July 31 incident in front of Larry's Nightclub on 1st Avenue South.

The first man is black, 5-feet-11 inches tall, 185 pounds, wearing a white baseball cap, a white T-shirt blue jeans and white shoes.

The second suspect is black, late teens to early 20s, 5-ffeet-7 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He was in a black T-shirt with "Scarface on it," black pants, and has gold teeth and cornrows.

The third suspect is also black, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a red baseball cap and a white T-shirt.

If you have any information you are asked to call the Seattle Police Department at 206-684-5550.