A tow truck driver was injured after a driver crashed through a gate then fled the scene in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday.
Josh Durrett said he felt glad to be alive after the suspect allegedly tried to run him over outside 21st Century Towing’s gate on North Kerby Avenue, according to 4029 News.
“Luckily, I was about two feet to the right of the truck when it was actually impacted. Otherwise, I would have been right here,” he recalled.
Video footage released by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) showed a woman wearing a black hoodie and an elderly man as they approached the establishment’s gate with what appeared to be a pair of wire-cutters.
Moments later, the man walked away as she crawled underneath the metal barrier, then walked out of view.
When Durrett pulled up and got out of his towtruck, the suspect’s vehicle approached and rammed into the fence. The broken gate hit Durrett and violently threw him backward onto the ground.
As he got up, the suspect reversed and hit the fence and his truck again, trying to make room for her escape.
Durrett was seen pounding his fists on the driver’s side window in an attempt to make her stop. However, she was able to flee once his truck had been pushed out of the way.
Durrett suffered a broken collar bone and later passed out from a concussion before he was taken to a nearby hospital, according to the Oregonian.
Friday, The PPB shared a photo of the suspects in hopes of identifying them.
“Police think the suspects showed up in a white work van with lettering on its side. One of the suspects, presumably the woman, is accused of stealing the pickup truck, a charcoal 2016 Ford F150 with a matching canopy,” the report said.
Authorities are trying to locate the suspect’s vehicle, whose rear plate reads 628JPG.
“I got a pretty good gash from when I hit my head on the tire,” Durrett later explained, adding, “The lug nut hit me in the head.”
“I got some bruising, bruised ribs, chest plate is pretty bruised up too. I’m just happy to be alive, to be honest,” he concluded.
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