Originally published May 7, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified May 7, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Seattle police seek witnesses to Sunday morning attack in Belltown
Seattle police are searching for witnesses to an attack in Belltown early Sunday morning that began with racial remarks and left a University of Washington physician in critical condition.
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are searching for witnesses to an attack in Belltown early Sunday morning that began with racial remarks and left a University of Washington physician in critical condition.
Peter Choi, 36, who is Korean, and four friends, also of Asian descent, were leaving a sushi restaurant when a group of men began harassing them with racial language, said Choi's girlfriend, Jane Song, 27. Choi and the men then got in a yelling match.
The men followed the group to Third Avenue and Cedar Street, where one of the men punched Choi in the face, one of Choi's friends said. The blow knocked him backward and he hit his head on the pavement, causing a severe head injury, Seattle police said.
"It wasn't like there was a fight. There wasn't a two-way thing. We were walking down the street; there was some yelling, and then Peter got assaulted," Song said.
The men and several witnesses fled before police arrived. The men involved were described only as white.
Choi has undergone two neurosurgeries since Sunday morning, said his sister, Amy Choi, 29, who lives with him.
He was listed in serious condition in the intensive-care unit at Harborview Medical Center on Tuesday night, according to a hospital official.
Choi has worked at several hospitals around Seattle in the past several years, Amy Choi said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the attack to call Seattle police detectives at 206-684-5550.
Haley Edwards: 206-464-2745 or hedwards@seattletimes.com
Haley Edwards: 206-464-2745 or hedwards@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Lake Union fireworks fun based on a blast from the past
Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
Fire danger already here in parched NW forests
Walk the deck of a restored schooner
Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new SUV? Weigh the impact your choice will have on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling'
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- 6 jurors swear a cop's wife swayed panel in Kent civil rights case
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- More than 1 million seek tix for Jackson memorial
- Rob Johnson's double in 11th powers Mariners past Red Sox, 7-6
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
734 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
344 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Reports: NKorean missile arrives at launch site
94 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
89 - Palin's Declaration of Independence
70 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
57 - Rob Johnson ties a club record as Mariners win 7-6 in 11 innings
54 - Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
39 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
33
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Liven up Fremont's attempt to break a world record for a 'zombie walk'
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Lynnwood's City Bank gets tighter scrutiny
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Retail Report | Pet-supply shops grow while other retailers fade
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling'
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- Oregon woman obsessed with rabbits back in jail





