COLUMBIA — A Columbia man is accused of rear-ending his ex-girlfriend's car, then beating her, dragging her down the street and running over her body with his car, police said. He remains at large.
According to a police report, the suspect hit the back of the victim's car twice as she was traveling east on Clark Lane, near McKee Street. The victim told police she got out of her car because she recognized the man as an ex-boyfriend.
The suspect then hit and kicked the victim several times. He then dragged the victim by her "hair and clothes" down the street, said Columbia Police Department Public Information Officer Jessie Haden.
The victim, a 27-year-old white female, told police the suspect returned to his vehicle and drove over her body. A witness who was driving through the intersection stopped to call the police.
"We are grateful for that witness," Haden said. "There are so many times when people see something and keep on driving."
The witness tried to intervene, and the suspect crashed into the witness's car while he was trying to hit the victim, Haden said.
The victim then got into the witness's car and was driven by the witness to a nearby gas station, where medics responded.
The victim had multiple bruises on her arms, legs and face and was "swollen," Haden said. The victim was transported to Boone Hospital Center.
Haden said the suspect's identity is being withheld at this time because a warrant has been requested but not yet issued. A Boone County prosecutor must issue a warrant.
But Haden said sometimes the police can't wait. "In a severe case like this, the police will continue to look for the suspect." Haden said he could still pose a threat to the victim.
The suspect, a 29-year-old black man, is 5 feet 9 inches tall, and weighs 190 pounds. He resides in Columbia and is currently at large.