Just when you think you’ve heard the most absurd reason behind a motor vehicle accident a scenario springs up that boggles the mind.
In this case a Laurel man is under arrest and facing attempted murder and other charges after allegedly striking a man with his car over a cell phone dispute, according to police reports. It all started innocently enough. A 64-year-old man returned to a sports bar and grill where he suspected he had mistakenly left his cell phone when he was there just the previous night. He learned from the proprietor that no such phone had been turned in to the lost-and-found at the establishment.
Thus began the almost inexplicable adventure. The man with the missing phone had the bright idea of calling his own number from a pay phone. A man immediately answered and the recipient of the call arranged to drive over to the bar’s parking lot and return the phone – but only in exchange for an unknown amount of “reward” money.
But something went drastically wrong. For whatever reason – perhaps an argument over the money demand – the man who showed up with the phone tossed the victim to the ground. A witness then grabbed violent man in order to prevent him from further harming the victim. Now the man with the lost phone was apparently ready to take out his anger on both men.
At first appearing to calm down after being pulled from the victim, the man who had the phone said he wanted to move his car to a designated parking spot at the bar’s lot. Instead of doing this, however, the man jumped behind the wheel of his car and speed at both men. While the rescuer was able to jump out of harm’s way, the phone owner was violently struck, getting run over by the assailant’s car tires. He was found unconscious by police.
Presumably still holding on to the missing phone, the assailant then raced out of the parking lot and headed south toward downtown Laurel, police said. Using a description given of the assailant’s car, cops apprehended the assaulting driver at the parking lot of the Laurel Mall. He was taken to police headquarters.
There the assailant was booked on two counts each of first- and second-degree attempted murder; first- and second-degree assault; destruction of property; failing to stay at the scene of a motor vehicle accident with injury; and several traffic offenses.
Of course that is only the criminal side of the assailant’s problems. Undoubtedly the two men who were the objects of the attempted murder will seek skilled plaintiff’s attorneys to get the civil suit ball rolling as well.
Source: Baltimore Sun, “Laurel man faces attempted murder charges after striking man with car” No author given, Aug. 09, 2013