Victim run over, left for dead outside Bradenton motel

BRADENTON (FOX 13) - Police are looking for those responsible after a man was beaten up and then run over before being left to die outside a Bradenton motel.

Now, the victim’s brother is asking for the public’s help in getting justice.

Steve Latz says his brother, 53-year-old Blair Chattley recently moved to Florida from Colorado. He had just started a new job, and Latz says his brother wouldn't do anything to instigate this kind of attack.

"Just an all-around good guy, give you the last penny in his pocket. That's just how Blair is," Latz said. "He's quiet, he stays to himself. He's religious, he's an ex-Marine, a hard worker."

Latz says his brother is not the type of man that would pick a fight.

But outside Bradenton's Drift In Lounge early Monday morning, the "friendliest place in town" was the backdrop of an attack. Manatee County deputies say bartenders asked Chattley to leave after drinking too much.

When he left the bar, Chattley was assaulted and then run over by a car. That vehicle left the scene.

"We don't know what exactly happened if he passed out if he hit his head when he fell. We're not sure," said Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, David Bristow. "What we do know is, is that he was laying there, and then minutes later, someone actually ran over him and takes off."

"That's crazy," said Latz. "I mean, what kind of person does that?"

Chattley is in critical condition at Blake Medical Center. Latz says his brother is bleeding from three different spots on his brain and has five broken ribs. Unconscious for the most part, Latz says he's only spoken to him briefly since the attack.

"I asked him one simple question. 'Blair, would you know these people if you saw them again?' He said, 'Yeah, I'll be able to pick them out.'"

Deputies say at least two suspects are on the run.

"I'm just hoping that the cops find them before I do," said Latz. "I mean, someone has got to be accountable for their actions."