Police seek man in beating at hotel

Spokane police identified a man Wednesday who detectives believe severely beat a Boise businessman last week in his room at the Hotel Lusso.

Major Crimes detectives seeking Erik R. Dickson, 26, on charges of second-degree assault and robbery, Capt. Bruce Roberts said.

“We believe he is in the Spokane area,” Roberts said. “We are asking for any information about the whereabouts of Mr. Dickson.”

Roberts said he couldn’t be specific about physical evidence from the hotel room that detectives used to identify Dickson.

The incident began the night of Oct. 20 when a 49-year-old businessman from Boise went to The Satellite Diner to catch the final inning of the Red Sox-Yankees baseball game. There he met and started talking with a man police believe is Dickson, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

After midnight and visiting another bar, the two men went back to the businessman’s room at the Lusso, 1 N. Post St.

Two other strangers, who had been at the first bar, showed up unexpectedly at the hotel but left when the businessman paid their $20 cab fare.

According to the victim’s business partner, who asked not to be named and was not in Spokane at the time, the two went back to the room so the victim could give the young man a business card. The businessman had been impressed with his new acquaintance and suggested he apply for a job in Boise.

As the victim “opened the hall door, he was struck in the head and dazed,” Cottam said. “He said he was then kicked in the face and said the attacker held a knife to his throat and repeatedly threatened to kill him.”

The victim suffered a broken bone around his eye, a split lip and cuts on the back of his head, Roberts said.

The attacker took the victim’s laptop computer, some cash, a cell phone and several items of clothing.

After the attacker left, the victim was able to yell loudly enough to alert another guest, who alerted hotel management.

“When officers found him, he was bleeding profusely about the head and face,” Roberts said. “He was still tied to the chair. They found him tipped over.”

Dickson was recently arrested on a burglary charge. He stands about 5 feet 10 and is 180 pounds with a shaved head.

Anyone with information on Dickson’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.