GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Police are searching for a suspect accused of assaulting an employee of The Mitten Brewing Company.
Investigators say the employee was outside the building in the 500 block of Leonard Street in Grand Rapids 12:20 a.m. Friday morning having a cigarette, when a random man walked up and asked him for a cigarette. When he said no and turned to go back inside, police say the suspect hit him in the back of the head with a "hard object."
"The good news is he’s going to be fine, he does have a concussion and it looks really bad, but as the staff is saying, it takes a lot more than that to keep him down," said Chris Andrus, co-owner of The Mitten Brewing Co. "He’s a great guy."
Andrus says his kitchen employee was responsive and in good spirits in the hospital Friday. The 25-year-old employee is named Steve, according to his GoFundMe page, which describes his injuries as a fractured skull, concussion and his ear sewn together. It adds that his his work insurance will cover hospital fees.
Officers say the employee attacked described the suspect as: a white man with dark hair in his late twenties, heavy set and last seen wearing dark shirt.
"They didn’t know each other, it was just a random senseless unbelievably stupid frustrating event," said Andrus.
Detectives do not believe this attack is related to any recent cases. However, Friday July 13, police tell FOX 17 two men attacked and robbed two other men in the alley behind area bars in the 700 block of Michigan Street NE. Police say the victims described the two suspects as men, one in his twenties.
Andrus says they are pushing for answers:
"The west side is safe, we’ve got each other’s backs, our staff is fired up, they want to find this guy," he said. "We’re a family here, and it really hurts."
GRPD also confirm to FOX 17 there was a domestic assault between two brothers using a baseball bat Thursday night on the west side. However, officers say that attacker was arrested around 11 p.m., an hour prior to the attack outside The Mitten.
Police plan to have an officer outside The Mitten Friday night before closing.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Silent Observer at: 616-774-2345 or silentobserver.org. Tips can also be called into the GRPD detectives at: 616-456-3384.
