Hit-and-run injury reported in Crystal River
Police were told the driver of a red pickup truck dragged an 18-year-old man, who was hospitalized and released.
By SUZANNAH GONZALES, Times Staff Writer
Published October 22, 2003
CRYSTAL RIVER - Crystal River police are investigating a reported hit-and-run that left an 18-year-old man injured early Tuesday.
Police were called to Northeast Fifth Terrace about 1:16 a.m. Tuesday, according to a report. The victim, later identified as Desmond E. Atkins, could not be found. Authorities learned he had been taken to his residence at 925 NE First Terr.
There, the officer found Atkins with a swollen face and a large cut on the back of his head, the report said. To the officer, the injuries did not appear to be life threatening, but Atkins was flown by helicopter to Tampa General Hospital. He later was released.
Joseph Evans, a 17-year-old witness, said Atkins was dragged on Fifth Terrace near Northeast Eighth Avenue by a red pickup truck. The victim's blood and hair net were found on the road. But the officer did not see any scrapes on his shoes, the report showed.
The truck was at the Race Trac service station before it hit Atkins on NE Fifth Terrace, and the man who drove the truck was near the pay telephones, Evans told officers.
One theory police were investigating is that Atkins and the driver knew each other and were involved in a confrontation, the report said. The report noted that Atkins was able to provide a description of the vehicle and said a girl named Heather drives it.
Crystal River police thought Evans, who was shaken by the experience and was inconsistent in his story, may have been holding back information, the report said.
A Race Trac clerk told police she did not see the truck. But she said a white man in his mid 40s with salt-and-pepper hair asked for $2 in quarters and then walked toward the pay phones.
- Suzannah Gonzales can be reached at 860-7312 or sgonzales@sptimes.com
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