An 18-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after police say he intentionally ran over a skateboarder in a parking lot in central Vancouver. The 45-year-old victim later died of his injuries at a hospital.
The victim’s name is not being released until his family has been notified of his death, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Police, medics, and fire and rescue crews were dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. to a shopping center parking lot at 5000 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. for a report of a crash involving injuries.
They arrived to find a pedestrian who had been struck and was pinned underneath the vehicle, Vancouver Fire Department spokesman Bryan Fredrickson said.
Bystanders tried to use car jacks to free the man but were unsuccessful, Fredrickson said. Firefighters stabilized and lifted the car off of the man, and he was taken to a hospital.
Further investigation found that the victim was skateboarding in the parking lot, approached the vehicle and allegedly punched the window, according to a police news release.
“The driver then made a U-turn and accelerated toward the pedestrian and did not brake until after he had struck the pedestrian,” the news release states.
The driver, identified by police as Joshua L. Jones, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and booked into the Clark County Jail. He is scheduled to appear Thursday morning in Clark County Superior Court, the jail roster shows.
The Vancouver Police Department traffic and major crime units are continuing to investigate.
— Reporter Jerzy Shedlock contributed to this report.
