Oregon man seriously injured in panhandler assault in Pioneer Square

An out-of-town visitor was sent to the hospital with a serious head injury this week after he was assaulted while trying to retrieve a necklace that had been snatched off his body by a panhandler in Pioneer Square.

According to Seattle police, the 25-year-old Oregon man was near the intersection of Occidental Avenue South and Yesler Way around 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday when he was approached by a panhandler asking for money.

The panhandler grabbed the chain from the victim's neck and assaulted the victim when he tried to retrieve it, according to police.

When police arrived, they found the victim unconscious and bleeding on the ground. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center.

His assailant remains at large. Police describe him as a black male who is about 5-feet-7 and 175 pounds and who was last seen in a puffy black jacket, dark pants and white shoes. They ask anybody who saw the assault or has information about it to call 206-684-5550.

The incident is not the first of its kind.

Late last month, a man called police to say that he had been punched in the back of the head when he refused to give money to a beggar.

According to the March 20 police report, the victim was on Blanchard Avenue in Belltown at around 2 a.m. when he was approached by a panhandler.

When the victim refused to give, "he was pushed to the ground by the male and then punched in the back of the head," according to police.

That man was transported to Virginia Mason Hospital with abrasions and a "large lump" on his head.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com