UW surgeon assaulted in Belltown hate crime
May 9, 2008
Photo by File Photo.
Peter Choi, UW physician
UW physician Peter Choi, 36, was violently assaulted early Sunday morning and underwent emergency neurosurgery at Harborview Medical Center.
Choi, an otolaryngology surgeon at the UW, was walking in Belltown with his girlfriend and some friends at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday. He was approached by a group of men at the corner of Third Ave and Cedar Street, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Jane Song, Choi’s girlfriend, told the police that the men began harassing Choi, who is Korean-American, with racial slurs. One man then attacked Choi. He was pushed to the ground and hit his head on the pavement.
“We believe that one person assaulted him and he fell to the ground — that’s how he sustained his injuries,” said Mark Jamieson, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police.
Choi’s attackers fled the scene. Choi, who suffered serious head trauma, was listed in critical condition upon his admittance to Harborview. Following his emergency neurosurgery, Choi’s condition stabilized from critical to serious.
Seattle Police are still looking for Choi’s attackers.
“So far, we have a very generic description of the suspects,” Jamieson said. “We know they were white males, maybe between the ages of 22 and 29.”
An official statement issued by the Choi family urges anyone with information on this assault to contact the Seattle Police.
#1 Dave
commented, onMay 11, 2008 at 7:54 p.m.:
This is extremely sad and tragic. Despite some genuine contributions that Asian Americans and other minority groups in the US made or are making, the white majority still views the minority as outsiders and do not hesitate to use their power for abuse. A lot more still needs to be done to educate people that racial discrimination is totally unacceptable and that people should fight against any forms of discrimination. Years of progress are set back in a night. The roots of hatred apparently is still alive and kicking. Despicable.
#2 Patti
commented, onMay 12, 2008 at 8:35 a.m.:
Wow I can hardly believe that Dave thinks that the 'white majority still views the minority as outsiders and do not hesitate to use their power for abuse.' What a sick opinion and not representative of the world I live in. Dr. Choi, whom I don't know, is a contributing member of society who was in the wrong place (Belltown at 2:00am) at the wrong time and ran into a psycho, not the 'white majority'.
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