San Diego Police are searching for three suspects wanted in connection with a brutal beating in the Gaslamp District that left a man with a brain bleed and multiple skull fractures.
Surveillance pictures released Tuesday show the suspects walking away from the incident, which happened June 19 at 1:47 p.m. on the 700 block of 5th Avenue.
Police said the 22-year-old victim was being protective, standing between two female friends and several men who were harassing them.
The victim did nothing wrong when he was viciously punched by an unknown man, officials said. He suffered a brain bleed and multiple fractures to his skill and face.
“It’s a really bad thing, especially with this being America’s Finest City and all,” said San Diego resident Eric Diaz. “You hope things like that don't happen."
The assault is one in a string of high-profile attacks in the Gaslamp District.
Six people are still wanted for questioning in a 4th of July beating on 6th Street, where a victim suffered similar injuries when he was punched, according to police.
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Last year, Michael Beaver was killed when he was sucker-punched during a fight as he was about to leave the area.
“It troubles me very deeply every time I hear something unfortunate happening to one of our guests or people in area,” said Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association. “Really we try to reach out to police when things like that happen.”
He said his association is rolling out a new initiative to help expedite police response times.
The organization also holds monthly public safety forums for high-level security guards from each venue, getting them in one room to talk about best practices.
Those involved in private security at the bars and clubs then keep in close contact with each other so they know if anyone is creating a problem, according to Trimble.
“If there is a bad apple in one of these venues, we’ll know about it and get police involved so they won’t have a problem in the next venue,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the June incident is asked to call San Diego Police Detective Omar Sinclair at (619) 744-9592.
