Man hospitalized after brutal assault inside Downtown Pittsburgh hotel 2 days after wedding
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man is in critical but stable condition after a brutal assault inside a Downtown Pittsburgh hotel.
On Sunday, Larry Gilmore married his best friend. On Tuesday, he is in a hospital bed after being brutally attacked inside the Even Hotel.
"It's horrible. It's like I'm living a nightmare," the victim's wife, Shalawrae Gilmore, said.
She can't believe she's been sitting by her husband's bedside at UPMC Mercy Hospital instead of enjoying their honeymoon.
"I haven't ate, I haven't slept, I'm pregnant," she said. "This is taken a hard toll on me."
Police say 26-year-old Heiko Calhoun viciously attacked Larry around 7 p.m. on Monday while he waited for the elevator inside the hotel. Calhoun told investigators Larry walked by him in the lobby and said something to him so he put him in a chokehold.
But the surveillance video tells a different story.
"Right now, he's still in critical but stable condition," Shalawrae said. "He's intubated still and we're hoping he can pull through."
According to the criminal complaint, Calhoun is seen on video approaching the victim from behind, putting him in a chokehold before repeatedly banging his head off the ground. While the victim was lying motionless, Calhoun returned several times to kick and stomp on the man's face and back, the complaint said. The suspect also took items from the victim's pockets and his pants.
"I went them to shut it down until they can ensure their customers' safety because there's no way someone was able to walk in behind him, sneak behind him and attack him," Shalawrae said, calling for the closure of the Even Hotel.
Hotel officials said the second set of doors to the building located on the ground level are locked every day from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and only accessible during those hours by a guest key. This includes access to the hotel lobby on the fifth floor where the attack happened.
In a statement to KDKA-TV, the hotel said, in part:
"Our thoughts are with this guest and their family during this difficult time. We appreciate the swift actions by our hotel staff, the Pittsburgh police department and local EMT's who rendered aid to our guest. We will continue to cooperate with local authorities in their investigation, and any additional questions on this matter, can be directed to the Pittsburgh police department."
Police said Calhoun is homeless and from New Jersey. He is facing attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and reckless endangerment charges.
