Two suspects caught on surveillance footage now jailed for beating 77-year-old man—Seattle mayor wants cameras off over their ‘threat to immigrants’

Ahmed Abdullahi Osman, 29, appeared in King County Superior Court for his arraignment after prosecutors previously secured a $200,000 warrant tied to the April 19 assault near Third Avenue and Pike Street, an attack captured on Seattle Police Real Time Crime Center surveillance cameras and widely circulated online.

Judge Karen Donohue ordered Osman held on the full $200,000 bail requested by prosecutors. “This assault was unprovoked on a 77-year-old man who was walking in public,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Turner told the court. “The state has extreme concerns for the safety of the community if Mr. Osman is released.”

Osman’s attorney, Pooja Goel, argued for his release on electronic home monitoring, telling the court her client has been receiving mental health treatment. “He has been in and out of inpatient treatment for several months,” Goel said, referencing therapy and psychiatric care. “Upon learning of this warrant, he immediately screened a public defender; he is standing before your honor today knowing he has a $200,000 warrant.” Donohue granted the prosecutors' request for bail and ordered Osman taken into custody.

The hearing came one day after co-defendant Jes’Sean Elion, 27, appeared for his own arraignment. A judge left Elion’s bail set at $100,000. Jail records show both defendants remain in custody. King County prosecutors have charged both men with Assault in the Second Degree in connection with what court filings describe as a “random, unprovoked, and unjustified assault” on Richard Vera, a 77-year-old man who had just stepped off a bus and was walking home through downtown Seattle.

According to charging documents, Vera was walking along Third Avenue when the two men allegedly approached him on the sidewalk and attacked him without warning. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators allegedly shows the suspects walking together before appearing to focus on Vera moments before the assault. Video of the incident quickly spread online and fueled renewed concerns over public safety in Seattle’s downtown core. The footage shows Vera attempting to move around the two men before they allegedly strike him and shove him to the ground. Prosecutors say the victim suffered a broken right arm, a broken left knee, and a severe forehead laceration requiring stitches. He remained hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center for days after the attack. Court filings state Osman, at one point, appeared to feign kicking the victim in the head while Vera lay defenseless on the pavement before both suspects walked away.

Investigators credited Seattle Police Department Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping identify both suspects. Osman was arrested near the scene the night of the assault after a security guard directed officers toward a nearby McDonald’s, where he was standing.

Police later identified Elion after surveillance footage, body camera video, and a citizen tip reportedly linked him to the attack. Detectives said Elion’s “unique gait,” facial features, shoes, and clothing matched the suspect seen on RTCC footage. Police documents note Elion has a prosthetic leg.

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Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson previously criticized the expansion of the camera network and warned she would shut down cameras if federal immigration authorities attempted to use the system. “In the event of a surge of immigration enforcement … I will turn off all cameras in order to prevent them from being abused by federal authorities.” She has said that the cameras are a "primary threat to immigrants, trans people, or people seeking reproductive health care in our country right now."

At the same time, Wilson acknowledged the cameras help investigators solve violent crimes, stating there is “no doubt that these cameras make it easier to solve some crimes, including serious ones like homicides.”

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