A Durango man was in critical condition Friday after being assaulted near the Animas River Trail and the Ninth Street Bridge in Durango.
The victim, Davidson Curley Chee, 38, was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center before being flown to a hospital in Grand Junction with wounds to his head, said Durango police Lt. Darrell Robertson.
A spokesman at St. Mary’s Hospital said Chee was in critical condition Friday afternoon.
Police arrested Antonio Nez, 31, of Durango on suspicion of felony assault. He was being held Friday on $10,000 bail.
The incident was reported at 9:04 a.m. when someone found Chee bleeding from the face. When police arrived, Nez was standing nearby with blood on his hands. He admitted to striking Chee, because Chee had insulted him, Robertson said.
“They apparently had some kind of argument or something and one took exception to the comments of another and assaulted him,” Robertson said.
The argument had racial overtones, and it could be considered a racially-biased crime, but he was unsure if prosecutors could file that charge considering both men are Native American, Robertson said.
Both men live in local motels and shelters, he said.
Alcohol appears to have played a role in the incident, he said.
shane@durangoherald.com
