Seattle Police Investigating Assault on Gay Man After Election in Capitol Hill

Seattle Police are investigating an assault on a gay man in Capitol Hill in the early morning hours of November 6, immediately following the presidential election.

According to the police report, two men in a Porsche Cayenne SUV flying a white Trump/Vance flag called a group of men on the street “fags,” instigating a confrontation that ended with the driver assaulting a gay man with a metal baseball bat just a block from SPD’s East Precinct. Although this crime occurred more than two weeks ago, and the victim caught it on video, there’s been no public messaging from the City, SPD, or Council Member Joy Hollingsworth about what happened or how the public could help. Police have not identified the suspects.

Around 1:30 am on November 6, the victim, along with his partner and three acquaintances, encountered the Porsche outside Dave’s Hot Chicken, 1200 E. Pike, on their walk back to Pony, a gay dive bar on E. Madison St.

From their car, the two men shouted “fags” at the group. The report says as the car began to slow, one of the victim’s acquaintances threw a drink, which sailed through the car’s window and into the cabin, hitting the passenger.

The men emerged from the Porsche angry and swearing, with the driver retrieving a metal bat from the trunk, according to police. After exchanging words with the victim, the driver struck him on the elbow and upper tricep, and then got back in the car and fled southbound on 12th Avenue.

The victim called 911, and declined medical help. Later, he went to Harborview Medical Center, where staff examined his bruises and confirmed that no bones were broken. Police arrived on the scene over an hour after the call, by which time the victim and suspects were long gone.

Filing a report at the West Precinct that afternoon, the victim’s partner told police they lived in Chehalis and would not “be back in Seattle soon.” The victim later confirmed his partner’s story over the phone and sent Seattle police video of the assault, as well as photos of his injuries. The victim told police he wanted to assist with the prosecution. The officer noted in the report that the Porsche had a temporary tag with a number registered to a Kia Soul. “It is unknown at this time if the Suspect’s [sic] purposely used this tag or if the proper tag was stolen or a mistake from the DOL [Washington Department of Licensing],” he wrote.

Seattle Police told The Stranger the homicide/assault unit is investigating the incident as an “assault with bias elements,” a step down from a “bias assault,” or hate crime where someone is targeted specifically because they belong to a protected class, which the victim and his partner believed they were. “It’s a fine, fine line,” police say. “We would have to speak with the suspect to be able to say for sure it was because the victims are gay.”

Police have video, but say they’d welcome more from the public if any exists “so we can hold the people responsible for this accountable.”

The Stranger also asked SPD why it didn’t share news of this crime with the public, or solicit help from potential witnesses, when it first happened. Just this Tuesday, the department asked the public for video and images taken at the scene of a homicide in Capitol Hill. In October, the department sought help identifying an assault suspect and three witnesses. SPD says detectives may not publicize a case to prevent suspects from destroying evidence, or drawing others who may copy the crime.

Bruce Harrell’s Press Secretary Callie Craighead says targeted violence is unacceptable and that the Mayor believes that everyone deserves to feel “safe and welcome in our city.”

“We are proud of Seattle’s reputation as a welcoming and leading city for the LGBTQ+ community, and our commitment to those values requires a continued obligation to reject hateful words and actions — absolutely no one should be intimidated, threatened, or assaulted because of their sexual orientation,” she says.

In response to our follow up email, Craighead added that Harrell’s office receives daily incident reports from SPD, but SPD handles all public notifications and communications around bias incidents.

District 3 Council Member Joy Hollingworth, who represents Capitol Hill and is an ardent supporter of police, says she has used her seat to improve community safety in her district to ensure it remains an open and welcoming place to LGBTQ people. She hasn’t actually introduced legislation to that effect, but encouraged anyone who experienced anti-queer rhetoric or violence to file a police report. 

“Hateful messages and misinformation has a very real possibility to lead to politically motivated violence,” she says. “We must all look out for one another to keep our community safe.”

The Stranger asked Hollingsworth if she’d heard about the incident from police. She said SPD does not brief Council Members on active investigations, but police have assured her SPD detectives are doing “everything in their power to investigate this incident.”

In a follow up email sent Wednesday afternoon, The Stranger asked Hollingsworth how she’d first heard of the incident, and why she hadn’t made a public statement or proactively told the public about the crime. She did not return our email.

Despite the cops asking for more video, and Hollingsworth’s encouragement, many queer people don’t trust the police and are less likely to call them, both for historical reasons, and the current reality that queer people are nine times more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime, as well as being more likely to experience police mistreatment. 

Andrew Ashiofu, a member of Seattle’s 21-member LGBTQ Commission, says to build trust, police have to work on “being in community in a non-threatening manner.” Ashiofu says that the City Council and Mayor have an obligation to inform people about this crime and “and involve the community on the way forward.”

“The recent incident … underscores the ongoing challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community,” Ashiofu says. “Unfortunately Trump ran a hate filled campaign targeting our community. His win has given folks like the attackers the false narrative that they can be violent without accountability.”

During this last election cycle, Trump and his political allies spent $215 million dollars on anti-trans political ads, roughly $137 dollars per transgender American. The incoming Republican administration, which is already bucking institutional norms in its transition to power, poses a serious threat to LGBTQ rights, which have become the intense focus of culture war-obsessed ideologues on the right.

Crime statistics from the FBI show even as the national crime rate fell, hate crimes in general, and those targeting the LGBTQ community, are on the rise, a reflection of our political moment. 

Shaun Scott, incoming representative for Washington’s 43rd Legislative District, which includes Capitol Hill, says that bigots across the country are emboldened by Trump’s reelection. During his campaign, Scott called for the creation of a task force to investigate the reach, influence, and activity of white supremacist groups and hate groups in the state. He says while he onboards as a new lawmaker, he’ll work with House Democratic Caucus policy staff and craft a formal proposal for this initiative.

“Hate should have no place in the 43rd LD,” he says.