Friend of Harding Hit by Car That Was Following Skater

A friend of Tonya Harding escaped injury Friday when he was struck by a car after demanding that the car’s driver stop following Harding and her entourage, police said.

Harding witnessed the altercation, which took place in downtown Portland, and notified authorities by calling 911, they said.

The incident involved David Webber, 51, who is the father of Harding’s friend, Stephanie Quintero, and who has been described as a surrogate father to the embattled figure skater. Harding has been living with Quintero and her husband, John, since leaving ex-husband Jeff Gillooly last month.

Police gave this account:

Harding, Webber and Quintero were driving downtown from an ice rink in suburban Beaverton, where Harding skated for about an hour Friday morning, when they noticed they were being followed by two cars.

When all of four vehicles came to a stop at a traffic signal, Webber got out of the car and confronted the driver of one of the other cars. He told the driver, a cameraman for NBC News, to stop following and harassing them.

The driver of the second car accelerated and struck Webber, knocking him to the pavement, and then drove away.

Later Friday, John Quintero was arrested after allegedly grabbing the manager of his apartment building by the arm and complaining that too many reporters were being allowed in the area.

Reporters, photographers and camera crews have been in and around the apartment complex to track Harding’s movements. An ABC television crew has rented an apartment next to the Quinteros.

“Quintero was arguing that the management was not doing enough to keep the media from invading his privacy and his company’s privacy,” said Mark Hyde, a police spokesman.

Quintero was taken to the police station, cited on a misedmeanor harassmant charge and released.