PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – On Monday, a motorist repeatedly ran into people along streets and sidewalks in Portland, Oregon, killing an elderly woman who was dragged under the wheels. The man then tried to flee on foot, but neighbors surrounded him until police arrived and wrestled him into custody.
Five other people were injured and taken to hospitals. Authorities said they believe more people were injured who did not require ambulance transport.
According to Portland police spokesman Derek Carmon, the police received a call shortly after 1 p.m. that a driver had hit a pedestrian.
Additional phone calls then came from people saying that a person driving the same suspicious vehicle hit a Honda Element, other people and vehicles, he said.
Larry Wolfe told The Oregonian / OregonLive that he had an appointment to meet the murdered person, a woman in her 70s. He said he saw her get hit by the car and screamed and walked over to her when the car came back, hit her again, made a U-turn and dragged her down the sidewalk.
The motorist eventually crashed the Honda one last time, fled on foot and was stopped by police with help from the community, Carmon said. A group of people saw him run from the scene and pushed him together until the police could take him into custody.
Police did not immediately disclose the identity of the driver or his victims. The crime scene spans at least 15 city blocks.