A man was seriously injured after trying to stop a diner who ditched his check at El Rancho Migueleno restaurant (3709 Columbia Pike) Friday night.
The incident happened just before 11:30 p.m. Police say the victim was a friend of the restaurant’s owner and was sitting outside on the restaurant’s patio when he saw a dispute unfold between the owner and a man who refused to pay his bill.
The victim intervened in the dispute, chasing the suspect into the parking lot and standing in front of his car. At that point, police say, the suspect drove forward, knocking the victim down. The suspect then drove over the victim’s legs and fled the scene, said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
The victim suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. The suspect remains at large.
From an ACPD crime report:
HIT AND RUN, 160527072, 3700 block of S. Columbia Pike. At approximately 11:25 p.m. on May 27, a male victim chased after a suspect who left a restaurant without paying his tab. The victim approached the suspect’s vehicle and they began to exchange words regarding the incident. The male suspect attempted to drive away and the victim stood in front of the vehicle in an effort to prevent him from leaving. The male suspect then struck the victim with his vehicle, drove over the victim’s legs and fled the scene. The victim’s injuries were non-life threatening. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his twenties, approximately 6’0″ tall and weighed 180 lbs. He was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and had a sleeve tattoo on his right arm.