Runner rammed by car in Tennessee, attempted murder charge laid
The terrifying incident in a Memphis parking lot was "like something out of an action movie," one witness said
A man who allegedly rammed his car into a runner in the parking lot of a shopping centre in Memphis, Tenn., last week in an apparent case of road rage has been charged with attempted second-degree murder. The terrifying attack left the runner, Joseph Farrar, with large cuts on his head and hand, requiring stitches.
WREG News in Memphis reports Farrar was running along a local highway when he was almost hit by a car. In response to nearly being struck by the vehicle, Farrar says he threw his hands in the air in a sign of frustration, which apparently angered the driver. Farrar told WREG News that the driver “pulled a U-turn and was yelling at me, but I had my headphones in and he stopped in the median and I ran into the parking lot to try to get some bystanders’ attention.”
The driver of the maroon sedan, later identified as Ladarrius Carruthers, allegedly followed the runner into the parking lot, striking him head-on with the vehicle. The impact sent Farrar flying over the hood and smashing into the windshield.
The owner of a barbecue supply centre in the mall witnessed the attack. “(Farrar’s) head, that whole side was dripping with blood. It was massive,” Jimmy Shotwell told WREG News. “It was out of an action movie. The guy hit the front bumper, rolled over the hood, hit the windshield, rolled over … the roof and just bounced off the ground. I was surprised he didn’t have any broken bones.”
The driver allegedly sped away from the scene after striking Farrar with his car. A bystander captured the hasty escape on video, and Shotwell called 911.
The runner said the vicious attack left him in a state of panic. “The moment after (the driver bolted), I was panicking and, you know, it takes a lot for me to panic,” Farrar recalled. “But I was in full panic mode because I didn’t know what to do.”
He told WREG News on Wednesday that he’s still processing last week’s traumatic attack, but that he feels “lucky” that emergency responders tended to him so quickly and that he has been able to ease back into running.
He also shared some compassionate words for his alleged attacker: “I do feel bad for the guy. We do all have our anger issues. It’s just—take them out constructively and don’t try to run somebody down.”
In addition to a charge of attempted second-degree murder, Carruthers faces a charge of aggravated assault.
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