Posted on 02/23/2011 2:58:48 PM PST by library user
A tow-truck driver was killed Wednesday morning after being dragged more than a mile by a sport-utility vehicle he was attempting to tow from an apartment complex in east Colorado Springs, police said.
The victim — whose name wasn't released — was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital Central about 11:30 a.m., police said.
John Stellabotte, the owner of J & J Towing, said police told him his driver was in the process of towing an illegally parked vehicle at the Hill Park Apartments at 360 N. Murray Blvd. when the owner jumped inside and took off.
Sgt. Steve Noblitt said the driver drove away in the sport-utility vehicle that was about to be towed, correcting earlier reports in The Gazette that the victim was dragged from the tow truck.
A witness said the man's leg was caught by a chain.
Klaus Klapac, owner of Klaus Towing of Colorado Springs, said Allen Rose was among the drivers who worked for J & J Towing. A spokesman for Memorial Hospital confirmed that a man by that name died in the emergency room this morning.
Police spokesman Sgt. Darrin Abbink said police were interviewing several "persons of interest," including an occupant of the sport-utility vehicle.
The police Major Crimes unit was sent to investigate.
The victim was found at Babcock Road and Platte Avenue, just west of Powers Boulevard and 1.2 miles from the scene of the tow-job-gone-bad, police said. Blood streaked long stretches of Platte Avenue, and boots, a tattered jacket, a ball cap, wallet and other articles were scattered along the road.
"A crime scene this size stretches our resources thin," Noblitt said.
After the dragging victim fell off, the driver of the sport-utility vehicle turned around in the median on Platte and reversed direction, Noblitt said.
The vehicle — a black GMC — was stopped at Bridger Place and Bridger Drive.
A homeowner in the area said he went outside and saw officers interviewing a female who was apparently in the SUV. It's unclear whether that person was the driver, and police have released no information about the SUV's driver.
Police were urging motorists to avoid the area.
The traffic disruption was expected to continue through rush hour, police said.
Two witnesses outside Family Liquor in the 400 block of Murray Boulevard saw the man being dragged behind the vehicle. His leg appeared to be caught in a chain, and he was "screaming and yelling — I felt his pain," one witness said.
One of the witnesses ran after the vehicle in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the driver. The vehicle turned right and disappeared down a frontage road that runs south of Platte Avenue, still dragging the screaming man, he said.
A police cordon surrounded the Hill Park Apartments complex, preventing anyone from entering.
A man who answered the phone in the apartment management office declined to comment.
Stay with gazette.com for more details as they emerge.
Horrifying. Prayers for his family. :-(
why such a lack of info on the driver?
Maybe because he was good Democrat.
Life in jail for him, I hope.
Probably the family hasn’t been notified yet. They tend to at least try to not let people hear their spouse/ parent/ kid died from the news.
Damn. One of the photos at the source shows a long trail of blood on the asphalt.
If I was at that place and I had a gun, would I have been within my rights to shoot the driver?
"Rogue Amish" I would guess, without even looking further. No respect for law, life, or especially white folks.
What was Bill Clinton doing outside the Family Liquors?
“Family” Liquors??
They would have to look for witnesses along the entire scene of the dragging — it’s not like finding witnesses to a car accident that happened in one spot.
Yes, similar things have occurred .
The business might be family owned, who knows
1st degree murder, nothing less.
Repossesion should not be a profit business.
The Company should go through the court get a court order and have legal sheriff deputies serve the papers and confiscate the vehicle.
To many repo outfits get things screwed up and people on boith sides get hurt
This wasn't a repo. The vehicle was illegally parked.
The problem is...the people who actually own the notes...want things to happen faster. They know..the local Sheriff Dept...isn't going to see their interests as priority.
Thus...it's a for profit business. And I say power to them!
“The Company should go through the court get a court order and have legal sheriff deputies serve the papers and confiscate the vehicle.”
Might was well deputize the repo men.
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