From the local news:
...an Isuzu Rodeo SUV was headed east...when it made an illegal right turn and ran into a Tri-Met bus. The impact threw the Isuzu into a Ford Focus and a Chrysler minivan. The force of the impact with the minivan threw a passenger in Rodeo, 36-year-old Hoang Do, through the windshield and into the street.
Police say as Do lay bleeding on the street, a passerby, 66-year-old Marvin Lewis, stole his wallet from his pocket. But police were arriving on the scene, spotted the crime, and apprehended Lewis.
Lewis told KOIN News Six that he didn't really mean to take Do's wallet, and would have given it back to him if police hadn't interfered. Lewis was back in his North Portland home Sunday night.
Amazing. The police "interfered" with his plans to return the wallet? (The ejected passenger, by the way, is expected to fully recover from serious head injuries. Seat belts...they're not just for decoration!)
The passerby might have been looking for an ID to identify the victim -- the description in the story in not inconsistent with that interpretation. However, if that is the case, you'd think he'd tell the news folk his intention more clearly than what they printed.
You know Alex's point was exactly the first thing that I thought of as well. I wonder if the press didn't sensationalize the story on a slow news night. The police apparently thought that the man's story was plausible enough to release him without charges. It makes you wonder.
I thought the same when I read it myself, but then also thought about what I would do in the same situation. You're walking down the sidewalk, and someone comes crashing down out of the melee of the car wreck.
Not having been there, I'm uncertain as to how I'd react, but I'm pretty certain I wouldn't reach for the wallet. It's unclear if the victim was conscious or not. If he were, then I know I wouldn't reach for the wallet. If he weren't conscious, my belief is that I'd reach for the cell phone first, to dial 911, and then hopefully try to attend to the individual as best as possible.
It's also not clear that charges have been dropped. The story only indicates the possible thief is back at home. Typically, you won't stay in jail on a simple pickpocketing charge.
Time will tell, of course -- if I see any updates in the local press, I'll update the post.
-rob.
No doubt you read this in The Oregonian, our local, lousy newspaper. A better explanation of the incident is needed. Still, I'll bet the wallet was being stolen.
Newspaper? What's that? :)
I saw it on both katu.com and koin.com this morning while reading the news...
-rob.
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