PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A motorist repeatedly drove people along streets and sidewalks in Portland, Oregon on Monday, killing an elderly woman who was dragged under the wheels. The man tried to flee on foot, but neighbors surrounded him until police arrived and he struggled in custody.
Five other people were injured and taken to hospitals. Authorities said they believed more people were injured who did not need ambulance transport.
According to Derek Carmon, spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, police received a call shortly after 1 p.m. that a driver had hit a pedestrian.
Additional calls are coming from people who say that someone driving the same suspicious vehicle hits a Honda Element, other people and vehicles, he said.
Larry Wolfe told The Oregonian / OregonLive that he had an appointment to meet the person who was killed, a woman in her 70s. He said he saw her being hit by the car and screaming, and walked towards her when the car came back, hit her again, made a turn and dragged along the sidewalk.
The motorist eventually crashed into the Honda one last time, fled on foot and was apprehended by police with the help of the community, Carmon said. A group of people saw him running from the scene and called him until the police could arrest him.
Police did not immediately disclose the identity of the driver or his victims. The crime scene spans at least 15 city blocks.