VIDEO: Deputies ask for help identifying suspects in bus-stop stabbing

| Crime | West Seattle news | White Center

5:22 PM: If you recognize any of the men in those surveillance-video images, the King County Sheriff’s Office wants to hear from you. They say these are the suspects in the Sunday night bus-stop stabbing at 15th and Roxbury, an attack that left a West Seattle restaurant worker paralyzed. KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West‘s update has new details:

The stabbing occurred around 6:30 pm near the Bartell Drugs store at 15th Ave SW and SW Roxbury. When police first contacted the victim after he had been stabbed, he thought he had been on a bus with the suspects. During recovery in the hospital, he told detectives that the suspects had not been on the bus. The victim told police he had gotten off the bus and gone to a smoke shop near the Bartell Drugs store. He went back to the bus stop near Bartell’s and was smoking when the suspects bumped into him. He said words were exchanged and an altercation ended with him being stabbed multiple times.

When the first deputy on the scene arrived he found the victim, barely conscious, with a blade stuck in his back near his spine. The victim told the deputy that he could not feel his legs. The three suspects fled on foot southbound and can be seen in the video running away. The victim is still in intensive care at Harborview and is paralyzed as a result of the stabbing.

Detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspects on this video. They are described as three Hispanic males, late teens or early 20s, and had blue bandanas. If you have any information related to this case, please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.

As reported here last night, the victim has been identified as Ramon Aspeitia, who works at Shadowland and Ma’Ono in The Junction; his employers and friends put together a crowdfunding drive to help him and his family as he recovers.

P.S. KCSO is working on making the full video clip available – we will add it here if and when that happens.

ADDED 6:12 PM: Two short clips have just been made available, and we’ve uploaded them. In the first one, Sgt. West explains, you’re seeing “when they first flee”:

In the second, Sgt. West says, they start to go back toward the scene, “then run back”:

JanS October 28, 2015 (6:11 pm)

I truly hope these three thugs are caught, thrown in jail, and never see the light of day again. We all know that won’t happen, and they will be able to live their life once they have served their time. Ramon, on the other hand has had his life changed forever if he never regains the use of his legs.There is something very wrong with that :(

kumalavula October 28, 2015 (6:38 pm)

this ranks up there with the saddest of stories i have read on the blog and i’ve read a lot. the fact that words were exchanged and a stabbing ensued is bad enough, but the fact that the victim (a community member, a well respected employee and a father to two young sons) is now paralyzed as a result is nothing short of heartbreaking.

your report stated he worked at two local junction restaurants. all i can think is that it’s going to be a long road to learning to be independent again if he is unable to use the lower half of his body, let alone be able to hold down more than one job. i know someone who was paralyzed in an accident years back and it’s tragic to watch how it affects both the victim and everyone in their immediate circle, regardless of how strong of a person they are. it’s undeniable: it will change a person’s life.

if there’s any other mention of community support opportunities for ramon or his family as he proceeds through convalesence, please post them as follow up.

ramon, hay muchas personas en nuestra comunidad que te mantienen en mente y corazón. sé fuerte aunque me imagino que hay que ser día por día. espero que paciencia y fé te acompañen.

Neighbor October 28, 2015 (6:43 pm)

If you know who these people are please, please turn them in. This man’s entire life and those of his children will never be the same. If this was your father, brother, or husband wouldn’t you want to know that the caught the people who caused such harm?

Please help this poor family.

Seattlite October 28, 2015 (7:00 pm)

Who are these gangs…thugs…criminals? These criminals need to be caught, identified to the public, and locked up. Does the bus driver know if the criminals were or were not on the bus?
I hope Ramon regains the use of his legs.

buckwheat October 28, 2015 (8:23 pm)

Where is the mayor?? This is so disgusting but no word or proclamation from the mayor???!!! We need leaders who will truly go after these thugs!

WSB October 28, 2015 (8:30 pm)

This didn’t happen in city limits. White Center is in the unincorporated area. Political leaders would be King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, whose district includes this part of the unincorporated area (as well as West Seattle and Vashon Island) and King County Executive Dow Constantine. There is a community council that frequently discusses crime and safety issues with KCSO reps, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council; their next meeting is one week from tomorrow, the first Thursday of the month, 7 pm at the North Highline Fire Station – TR

4th Gen West Side October 28, 2015 (8:32 pm)

Just a suggestion. The ability to click on the photos for a much bigger photo would be helpful for stories like this. Not sure if that is easily changed. Just hard to see for my over 40 eyes.

WSB October 28, 2015 (9:00 pm)

4th G – these are published at the full size at which KCSO sent them – which is only 2/3rds our maximum photo size, but enlarging them at this fuzzy resolution would make them even blurrier. As for the video, you can see it slightly larger by clicking through to the YouTube page (click on the lower part of the video and you’ll see the YouTube logo, clicking again there goes to the YT site). KCSO admitted the imagery isn’t great, but it’s better to get it out there than not, whatever the quality – TR

CM October 28, 2015 (8:54 pm)

WSB, I understand your point, but a couple of blocks one way or the other really shouldn’t matter. Seattle and King County police have shared jurisdiction throughout. If they’d run a couple of blocks North, it would be Seattle. Just chance. The Mayor should be addressing this since it affects Seattle.

NW October 28, 2015 (9:40 pm)

This is very heartbreaking and I have been processing it since reading yesterday’s post now to hear his health situation may take a turn.

JesseD October 28, 2015 (10:41 pm)

Heartbreaking story…hope they catch these p—-s. Three on one and stab him in the back….special place in hell for you Dawg.

Alan October 28, 2015 (10:50 pm)

4th G – If you want to see the images larger, try holding the “Ctrl” key and pressing “+” until it is as large as you would like. As TR pointed out, it will not really help much. It is pretty blurry.

BTW – Reverse that by pressing “-” while holding the “Ctrl” key.

BJ October 29, 2015 (12:00 pm)

This is so terribly sad and disgusting, no words will be able to be expressed (but trust me I’m shouting them in my head right now). This definitely needs to be followed up with some major police action. Unreal. I live by, and travel through, this area every single day and to think this could happen – especially at that time period – is so horrible. Going by there this morning at around 6am I noticed that Walgreens was COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY BLACKED OUT. No lights around the building, in the parking lot. NOWHERE. Someone could’ve been standing (or laying in a pool of blood for all we know) right there and no one would’ve been able to see them from the sidewalk, let alone driving by. This is UNACCEPTABLE.

Brenden October 29, 2015 (3:26 pm)

I can’t comprehend brutally stabbing someone over bumping into them. What is the point? Really hope justice prevails here.

Hoping for your speedy recovery, Ramon

ws_suzanne October 29, 2015 (4:50 pm)

BJ — I bet if you go in and talk with the manager directly that s/he will make sure those lights are on 24-hrs/day. That’s my hope anyway, especially if you show them the story about Ramon. I find that talking directly to people often helps create the change that we are asking for.

dsa October 29, 2015 (5:09 pm)

This act is so brutally cruel, I’ve been unable to comment and still cannot say what I think.

Matt S. October 29, 2015 (5:43 pm)

I can’t comprehend brutally stabbing someone over *anything at all,* and I get worked up about all kinds of things. I hope the community support is more impactful to Ramon than the human garbage that blew away into the night.

NW October 29, 2015 (6:00 pm)

How do we put a curse on these three suspects?

churchlady October 29, 2015 (6:51 pm)

Just finished watching the news. this young man is now Paralyzed from the waist down! I am so upset. Why do this to this man? 3 guys attacking a lone person. These bums are cowards. I live half a mile from the crime scene and I tell ya , I don’t know what I’m gonna do if I see these creeps while driving my big 4×4 truck!

Ladypink October 29, 2015 (8:59 pm)

Blue bandana in white center = VL
I think…

old timer October 30, 2015 (12:24 pm)

I saw a story about this on KOMO last night.
The victim worked two jobs to support his family.
His employers have set up a donation page to solicit contributions to meet medical and household expenses.
If you believe in “Community Support”,
I would suggest you put your money where your mouths are.
Link: https://www.youcaring.com/ramon-aspeitia-458306

WSB October 30, 2015 (1:04 pm)

Thank you. We reported all that back on Tuesday: https://westseattleblog.com/2015/10/followup-white-center-stabbing-victim-idd-as-west-seattle-restaurants-employee-community-contributions-sought – TR

dsa October 30, 2015 (2:20 pm)

Ramon is showing some improvement according to the KOMO site: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Deputies-search-for-suspects-in-White-Center-bus-stop-attack-338531422.html It says he has pain in one of his legs. That’s taken as a good sign. I hope and pray it is.

rc October 30, 2015 (2:59 pm)

I pray for complete recovery of Ramon; however rather than hating the 3 young men who committed this horrific crime, I pray that they will decide to turn their lives around, will turn themselves in to the police, will ask forgiveness of Ramon, will be sentenced for their part in this, and will live productive lives once they have done their time. I pray they will spend the remainder of their lives working to stop crime and will always see that a portion of whatever they earn will go to Ramon and his family.

kris October 31, 2015 (3:42 pm)

The brutality of this crime is so evil. I pray that this poor man will regain the use of his body. The scum who did this will receive their punishment from God. What you sow ye shall reap.

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