2 men arrested after video shows Hemet man hit with own car
Two men have been arrested in connection with a case in which a Hemet man was run over with his own car during a road rage incident that was caught on camera, police said.
Michael “James” Williams, 18, and a 17-year-old boy were identified after police released video of the graphic attack on social media this week, Hemet police said. Following the release of the video, investigators received numerous tips about the suspects’ identities, they said.
Authorities said officers stopped the 17-year-old boy Tuesday in 100 block of North Buena Vista Street, where he was taken into custody, and that Williams surrendered to police at 7 p.m. Thursday. He was booked on suspicion of attempted homicide and conspiracy, police said.
Police said they began searching for the suspects after the video of the July 31 incident surfaced.
In the video, Tracy Leavitt, 53, argues with two men, police said, when one of them steals his car, drives away and then returns to run him over.
The video shows Leavitt arguing with one of the men, who quickly moves away as a white car speeds toward them.
The charging vehicle hits Leavitt and sends him flying. The driver stops and gets out of the car, running back and forth between Leavitt’s vehicle and a white Ford pickup truck. He tosses an item into the bed of the truck before he and the other man drive away.
Authorities said that when officers arrived at the scene in the 1400 block of South Gilbert Street, they found Leavitt lying in the street. He couldn’t move and suffered serious, though not life-threatening injuries, they said.
Leavitt’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medical bills, including the cost of hip and knee replacement surgery. He suffered broken bones and a collapsed lung.
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