A tow truck driver hauling a vehicle on the back of his rig was chased off a Portland freeway, forced into oncoming traffic, and then run down after he stepped out of his truck, according to police. The driver was treated and released from the hospital, and the suspect has not been arrested.
Road Rage Spills Onto City Streets
Portland police said officers responded just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday to reports of a hit-and-run near Northeast Tillamook Street and 42nd, according to KOIN. Officers and paramedics arriving at the scene found an injured man and took him to the hospital. Police said the confrontation actually began earlier, on the freeway, where the tow truck driver and another motorist got into a road rage dispute while he was hauling a vehicle on the back of his truck.
According to Sgt. Kevin Allen, the other driver did not let the dispute end when the vehicles left the highway. Instead, the report states, that driver followed the tow truck driver and forced him into the opposite lanes of travel. When the tow truck driver eventually got out of his vehicle, the suspect driver struck him with the car and then left the scene, police said.
No Arrests Yet as Investigation Continues
Police said the tow truck driver was treated and released from the hospital, and that no immediate arrests have been made. The case remains under investigation, according to the same report from the station.
This is not the first time a Portland tow truck operator has been run down after an encounter on the freeway. In January 2023, KPTV reported that driver Arthur Walker was injured in a hit-and-run while helping a stranded motorist on Interstate 84, an incident that happened just before 7 a.m. Police at the time described the suspect vehicle as a Ford tow truck with a wheel-lift mechanism on the back. Walker suffered a broken arm and leg in that crash, and the station reported he was expected to make a recovery, with a GoFundMe set up to help him and his family while he healed.
