Local

Passenger yells ‘hit this b****’ as video shows driver run-down pedestrian on Aurora

SEATTLE — Seattle police are looking for any information on two seemingly random hit-and-runs involving pedestrians on Aurora Avenue.

Officials believe these attacks to be random and have cellphone footage from inside the vehicles when the attacks happened.

The attack, police said, is the first incident that happened on 107 Street and Aurora Avenue on November 26, just before 2 a.m.

The reason police know when that attack happened is because a building across the street caught the assault on camera.

“It’s like super messed up,” said Ellen Throneberry.

“It’s horrific for sure,” said Ethan Gunnel.

Throneberry and Gunnel live just off Aurora Ave. KIRO 7 showed them the footage of the incidents shared by Seattle Police. They said they couldn’t believe they watched people purposely run over the two victims, who police say are strangers to the driver.

In cellphone footage from inside the car during the 107th Street attack, you can hear someone say “Hit this b****, hit this b****,” before the car hits a woman walking near the corner.

They drive off laughing.

“It almost seems like they like think it’s a joke or like they’re doing it for fun which is like pretty horrifying,” Gunnel said.

Surveillance footage from a nearby building shows what looks like that car swerving left, into the oncoming traffic lanes before hitting the woman.

Police said witnesses ran over to help her after, then they put her in another car that took off.

The second incident happened at 96th and Aurora Avenue, but police don’t know when.

In cellphone footage from inside the car, a man walking in a bus lane with his back to the car can be seen, then the car hits him and he bounces off the hood.

“I don’t know what kind of person would think it’s funny hitting people,” said Gunnel.

“That’s like horrendous, and like I don’t know I’ve had that creeping thought in the back of my head like what if someone was just wild and like ‘I’m going to run this gal over’,” said Throneberry.

One man, who said he’s lived on Aurora Avenue for the last couple of decades said those victims could be people he knows.

“Every person that walks on this block is like my family. I’ve been on Aurora Avenue for over 20 years so for all they know that could have been my brothers and my uncle or somebody that I really care about.”

He said he hasn’t been in the area for the last couple of weeks, and there are people not here to welcome him back.

“I have people that I haven’t seen in days so now I’m worried if that was one of them,” he said.

As of right now, police don’t know who the victims are or their injuries. They do say based on the cellphone footage, they are likely serious. Anyone with information is asked to call Seattle Police.

0
Comments on this article
0