‘Completely random’: LA-based photographer on being attacked, robbed during Seattle vacation

A man who was beaten unconscious and robbed on Rainier Avenue in Mount Baker continues to recover as investigators keep looking for the suspect.

The victim, a photographer based in Los Angeles known as Caliber Visuals, said he was in Seattle for vacation. Caliber told KIRO 7 he needed time away from home after being involved in a car crash on July 8 that left him with significant injuries to his neck and back.

“I was going to physical therapy, and it was stressing me out a lot,” Caliber said. “Basically, make myself feel a little better, not have to worry about anything (or) stress too much.”

While in Seattle, Caliber went to an event in Mount Baker held by his friend, Yung Tada, a Seattle-based music video director.

“(At the event), I was feeling a bunch of neck and back pain from the car accident before, so I wanted to go lay down,” Caliber said. “So I asked my friend if I could borrow his keys to go take a nap in the car.”

Caliber took a nap in the car, which was parked in a lot close by. After he woke up, he started walking back to the event. That’s when the man who assaulted him approached him.

“The dude came up to me, tried to ask what time it was. I told him I didn’t know,” Caliber said. “But he grabbed my hands, so I couldn’t get away from him, and that’s when I realized something wasn’t right. That’s when he went on full attack mode.”

Security footage of the altercation shows the suspect throwing Caliber to the ground before kicking him repeatedly in the head.

“He just kept saying, ‘I don’t care about your phone. You think I give a s*** about that? Empty your pockets,’” Caliber said about the assault. “Everything just happened so quick that I didn’t really understand what was happening.”

Security video shows the suspect kicking Caliber until he was unconscious. Then, the suspect empties Caliber’s pockets before leaving with Caliber’s phone, wallet and the car keys belonging to his friend.

Tada said word quickly reached him and others at the event nearby.

“(People walked in and said) that someone’s in trouble over there. And in my head, the only person over there is Caliber,” Tada said. “So I drop everything I’m doing. I run over there, and I see him on the ground with two knots above his eyes.”

“I didn’t really remember a lot of it,” Caliber said. “I woke up, and I just had police and ambulance all in my face, and my friend’s running around.”

According to the Seattle Police Department, Caliber was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated for head trauma and significant injuries to his face.

“My left eye was fractured, and I had bleeding in my brain,” he said. “Now I’m having severe headaches I can’t seem to get rid of. I stand up; I get dizzy. Anytime I go to pick something up off the floor, I get crazy migraines that rush through my head. I’m still spitting up blood. It’s not like regular spit, but if I clear my chest or if I’m brushing my teeth, there’s still blood. Sometimes, it’s ‘fried up’ blood; sometimes, it’s fresh. Other than that, I’ve just been trying to sleep as much as I can, so I don’t feel everything that I’m going through.”

Caliber said he’s also worried because his medical expenses are getting out of hand. A GoFundMe page has been created to help with the costs. https://gofund.me/1cc9f130

“I just want to thank everybody that has helped me out and showed me the love and support that they already have,” Caliber said. “Anybody that’s even got to share (the GoFundMe), whether they had the funds or not, it means more than I could ever explain.”

On Monday, Seattle PD confirmed no arrests have been made and that the investigation is ongoing. SPD described the suspect as a Black male; 5 feet, 10 inches tall; and 180 pounds with a medium build. The suspect was wearing an orange and yellow T-shirt and black pants with a white stripe down the side at the time of the attack.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call SPD’s Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535.

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