Seattle prosecutors have charged a man with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a May 4 hammer attack outside the Renaissance Hotel
Seattle prosecutors have charged a man with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a hammer attack in May in downtown Seattle, that left a man with extensive facial and head injuries.
23-year-old Bey Mateen Muhammad was charged Wednesday after Seattle police investigated the case and referred it to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Aug. 31, prosecutors said.
Charging documents allege Muhammad approached 34-year-old George E. Miller just after midnight on May 4, 2026, as he was hunched over outside the hotel, before pulling a hammer from his backpack and hit Miller in the head.
Muhammad continued striking Miller as he lay motionless on the ground, hitting him about 30 times before leaving the area, according to the documents.
Police say they found Miller unconscious and covered in blood, after hotel employees called 911.
One officer who responded to the hospital, wrote "These were among the most severe facial and head injuries I had observed during the entirety of my police career." after seeing Miller.
"My son is one of the strongest people I know because most people, they would not have survived this," said the victims father, George Miller II.
The 34-year-old was then taken to Harborview Medical Center for emergency treatment, ultimately ending up in a coma for at least two weeks, and had to receive critical care for two months, according to Miller II.
More than three months after the attack, the father says his son now remains in a rehabilitation facility and has around-the-clock care due to his injuries.
"He's surviving, but it's it's not easy and he can't swallow well, he can't eat well," said Miller II, adding that his son can't hear out of his left ear and has damage to his left eye.
An image of the suspect wearing the clothes described in the attack. (The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.)Through security video from the hotel, and city surveillance cameras in the downtown area, detectives were able to gather a description of the suspect, including unique pieces of clothing like a white bucket hat, a black backpack, and red or pink shoes.
Detectives were able to arrive at referring charges after seeing Muhammad in two more incidents following the May 4 attack.
It was on May 19, that Muhammad was arrested for attempting to break into an apartment unit, and was seen on a ring doorbell camera swinging a hammer at the door, wearing the same backpack seen in surveillance earlier that month.
In that case, the 23-year-old was charged for Property Damage, False Reporting and Obstruction in municipal court.
However on July 23 the next month, Muhammad was arrested after a brief run on foot -- after reports were made that a man had stabbed one person in the back as they waited to cross the street on an electric scooter, and then punched a random person in the back.
Muhammad was charged with first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault, according to court records, and was being held in the King County Jail on a $500,000 bond in that case.
Detectives then got a warrant to go inside Muhammad's apartment, spotting familiar clothing inside from the previous security images, and a similar looking hammer to the one seen in the property damage case and the May 4 attack.
"We didn't know, we thought at first he's gonna get away with it. We're so happy he doesn't get away with it," Miller II said, "They're wonderful people and I want to thank the Detective Witmer [with] Seattle police for not giving up and trying," he added.
In those charges, filed on September 3, prosecutors allege that Muhammad was armed with a deadly weapon, a hammer.
Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $2 million and that Muhammad have no contact with Miller.
Miller II says he hopes that the court's decision will prevent anyone else from being hurt in the future.
"He should never see the light of day, he's a monster. He's a coward," Miller II stated, referring to Muhammad.
Muhammad is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 9. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
