SALISBURY, MD -- Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the seven suspects who assaulted a group of men at one of Salisbury's popular late-night eateries over the weekend.
Officers responded to the Cook Out on South Salisbury Boulevard Saturday at about 2 a.m. for a report of a large fight, Salisbury Police Capt. Rich Kaiser said during Tuesday's weekly public safety briefing.
Upon arrival, he said, police determined there were about 300 patrons at the restaurant, half inside and half outside, and three men had suffered "serious facial injuries" in a fight while waiting in the drive-thru line.
"For no apparent reason, seven unknown suspects approached the victims' vehicle and began jumping on the vehicle, causing damage to the vehicle," he said. "The victims exited their vehicle and immediately approached the suspects, and then the victims were assaulted."
Witnesses told officers at least one of the seven men was seen capturing the assault on video, Kaiser said.
There were four victims, he said, but one was uninjured. The three injured men, all in their early 20s, were transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center for treatment.
One was eventually transferred to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and another was transferred to the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. All three were treated for their injuries and released.
Kaiser said the victims and witness at Cook Out described the suspects as black men about 6 feet tall wearing white T-shirts. They were seen fleeing the scene in a copper-colored car, and he said police are working to get surveillance video of that vehicle.
Police have repeatedly requested that Cook Out turn over surveillance footage of the event to law enforcement, but Kaiser said they have yet to receive any video from the restaurant.
Investigators hope to have that video or still images of the suspects by Wednesday, he said, so it can be reviewed and released to the public if it contains valuable evidence.
Kaiser urged anyone who was at Cook Out early Saturday and has information about the assault or any cellphone video of the event to contact Salisbury police, who are working in conjunction with Salisbury University police on the investigation.
"We know that it is common practice for spectators of an event of this nature to record this incident or these types of incidents on their cellphones," he said "If in fact you did record this, we are asking you to contact our detectives and allow us to review this video footage in an effort to solve this crime and identify the suspects who were involved."
Anyone with information about the incident can contact Salisbury police at 410-548-3165 or crime solvers at 410-548-1776. Those whose tips lead to the identification and arrest of suspects involved may receive cash rewards.
