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Travel nurse recovering after brutal attack at Kent Station
A man who works as a travel nurse is still recovering after being attacked and assaulted outside a restaurant in Kent.
KENT, Wash. - A man who works as a travel nurse is still recovering after being attacked and assaulted outside a restaurant in Kent.
Police believe the suspect, Keegan Keitges, may have been stalking his ex-girlfriend and attacked Travis Ashburn because he was at the restaurant with her. He is pictured below prior to the attack.
Lauren says she and Travis are long-time friends. She believes her ex, might have used a GPS tracker to find her at the restaurant before launching the attack.
Travis is pictured in the hospital below following the attack.
"He’s always been a great friend, super supportive," said Lauren.
Lauren Aaronson says she and Ashburn, who works as a travel nurse, had gone to dinner at Kent Station to catch up and enjoy a summer out. However, the evening took a dark turn after they left the restaurant.
"We are walking out of Duke’s on our way to my car," said Lauren. "Me and Travis are walking and Keegan runs up behind him and hits him. Travis drops totally knocked out and can't even fight back."
She says her ex-boyfriend Keegan Keitges snuck up behind Travis, striking him on the head, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. Keegan is pictured below.
"He gets on top of him and just starts beating him and curb stomps him and runs away," said Lauren.
Witnesses told police he'd been knocked out, "after the first blow" then "proceeded to strike an unconscious Ashburn in the face several times."
This was a photo of his injuries documented as evidence of the attack in court documents. It was so graphic, FOX 13 blurred the image.
"I’m like screaming, ‘Somebody help’," said Lauren.
Lauren told police she'd also been physically abused in the past by Keegan. They wrote in charging documents, "Keegan had forcefully pressed his hand against Lauren's face, causing her lips to swell and her nose to bleed."
Then, when police were called by a neighbor to investigate what was happening at the home during that incident, Keegan was accused of driving away with evidence, "taking the bloody bed sheets with him."
Police also wrote in court documents, "Keegan would threaten to hurt/kill her dogs by hanging them, hurt her friends, hurt her family…"
"It took somebody else getting hurt for me to come forward with everything," said Lauren.
After the assault on Travis, detectives stated in court documents they found a device in Lauren's car that may have been used to track Lauren's location.
Court documents stated; "The detectives located a tracking device on the floorboard of the rear passenger side of the vehicle."
Keegan pleaded guilty to violating a protection order on Lauren, and the assault on Travis. His handwritten confession reads:
"I hit and kicked him multiple times while he was on the ground."
"The injuries I caused exceeded the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the crime by breaking multiple bones during the assault."
Lauren started an online fundraiser to help Travis with his medical expenses as he recovers.
"I know he was appreciative toward anyone that helps," said Lauren.
Travis has been released from the hospital and has been getting help from his girlfriend, who is also friends with Lauren, along with other friends and family as well.
"It's been a long and painful journey so far," said Travis. "Still in a bit of pain and still have swelling and don't look quite the same."
"It’s heartbreaking this happened to him. It couldn’t have happened to someone more nice and caring," said Lauren.
The Source: Information in this story came from Kent Police, GoFundMe and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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