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New video shows September light rail hammer attack
A hammer-wielding man accused of beating elderly, disabled transit riders at a Seattle light rail stop had his day in court.
SEATTLE - A hammer-wielding man accused of beating elderly, disabled transit riders at a Seattle light rail stop had his day in court.
39-year-old Richard Gordon appeared in court for multiple counts of assault, stemming from a separate incident. On Wednesday, Gordon’s attorney asked a King County Judge to grant her client a psychiatric evaluation.
"When my client was arrested, he was delusional," said Gordon’s attorney. "When he was interviewed, he was delusional, and he remains delusional."
The judge granted the lawyer’s request.
FOX 13 obtained new video that provides a violent play-by-play perspective of the Beacon Hill attack. Surveillance footage gives three different angles of the Sept. 28 incident. In the graphic video, Gordon is seen delivering a powerful blow to a 60-year-old man using a wheelchair. That elderly man then collapses on the pavement.
"It’s just a fluke he didn’t hit one of these elderly folks in the temple with that hammer," remarked Jim Fuda with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. "The guys got some mental health anger issues that need to be dealt with if he can’t be in public, he needs some type of incarceration and mental health treatment."
Court documents reveal Gordon has a history of making threats with a hammer. Back in May 2023, his ex-boyfriend accused him of pulling out a hammer and threatening him multiple times. Police came to Gordon’s place and found a hammer on his desk.
RELATED: Seattle light rail hammer attack: Suspect charged with 3 counts of assault
Fast-forward a few months later to September, while in an inpatient facility, Gordon called authorities "reporting that staff and residents at Bailey-Boushay House were threatening to kill him."
In that incident, Gordon allegedly made threats to harm staff with a hammer. Bail has been set at $1.2 million.