Boulder community rallies behind man injured in brutal attack walking home
Dozens of people from the Boulder community came out to support one of their own outside of the city's Whole Foods on Pearl Street Tuesday one month after the brutal attack on a man with special needs.
"I was really happy because I didn't want to walk home by myself," said Marius Suffian.
Suffian spoke with CBS News Colorado last week, nearly a month since he was attacked by an unhoused man while walking home in broad daylight.
RELATED: Colorado man with special needs speaks out after being beaten with a stick
Boulder police arrested 43-year-old Derek Jordan for allegedly beating Suffian with a stick, severely injuring his eye and breaking his nose.
"It really hurt, it really stung me to learn that my friend had this happen to him," said Boulder Police Sergeant Steve Faber.
Suffian, who lives with muscular dystrophy and cognitive dystrophy, has felt unsafe walking home from his job at Whole Foods ever since returning to work. Earlier this month, Jordan was released from jail.
"The suspect that was responsible for this attack was able to bond out of jail in early October," said Boulder Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn. "He has another hearing coming up in November. He was able to post a $5,000 cash bond and is out in the community as we speak."
Tuesday, however, Suffian was not alone. Boulder police rallied their officers and other people in the community together to escort Suffian home from his job.
"It feels good to have a police escort from all the Boulder police officers here," he said.
"We sent out one quick email and we had council members, elected officials, community members here to support this young man," said Redfearn. "It was a very tragic incident, but then when we learned it was someone who really, we love and loves our officers. He interacts with a lot of them at the grocery store where he works, [so] we wanted to do something special for him."
Faber was among the officers in the crowd that walked with Suffian. Yet, the two have shared a bond for over a year, going to lunch together on Mondays.
Faber hopes Suffian, a die-hard Nuggets fan sees how much police are willing to be there to protect him and people like him.
"I think it's important for the community to know that," said Faber.
"Maybe reclaim that sense of safety, that sense of independence to be able to walk home," said Redfearn.
While Suffian remains frustrated his attacker is out free until a November 16th preliminary hearing, he says he is grateful for the support surrounding him.
"[I'm] excited to walk home again," he said.
The police department declined to comment on the nature of Jordan's bond release despite having an extensive record. The Boulder County District Attorney's office did provide some comment on the matter:
At the initial bond setting, we requested a $75,000 secured bond but the court set a $50,000 secured bond with a $5,000 cash option. The defendant did ask to address bond at the most recent court date. We strongly opposed the defendant's request and the court denied the defense attorney's request for a modification. The defendant posted the bond and was released, as your last story noted. Under the law, "the type of bond and conditions of release shall be sufficient to reasonably ensure the appearance of the person as required and to protect the safety of any person or the community, taking into consideration the individual characteristics of each person in custody, including the person's financial condition." There is no specific reference or consideration for someone who is unhoused/housed. If the defendant fails to appear for court, the judge will issue a warrant for the defendant's arrest.
Our office will continue to fight for the victim and seek justice in this case. Aside from the valid concerns about the $50,000/$5000 bond, the response by the police and the prosecution team has gone exactly as it should and the case is on the right track. Ultimately, we are confident that we will secure the right outcome in the case.
