By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A MAN hit a woman with his car during a confrontation and dragged her body a short distance before he crashed into a parked car, police said.

The assailant’s car overturned and he exited the vehicle and tried to flee the scene but was restrained by bystanders who held him until police arrived.

The woman, who is in her early 30s, was taken to hospital with “significant injuries,” police said.

The incident took place on Key West Street.

Police were called to the scene after 3pm and met the woman lying on the ground with multiple abrasions about her body.

“Initial investigations revealed that there was a conflict or confrontation between her and a male and as a result of this the male drove a vehicle and struck her, dragging her a short distance before stopping as a result of hitting a vehicle that was parked nearby,” Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters said.

“That vehicle that driver was driving overturned and that driver exited that vehicle and attempted to flee the scene. As he was doing so, members of the community accosted him and held him until the police arrived on scene. EMS had transported the female to the hospital. She appears to be coherent, however it is concluded that she has received significant injuries,” he said.

Asked if this was a “lovers’ quarrel”, the officer said while that had not been concluded, “It is a possibility.”

ASP Peters appealed to families, friends and persons who are in relationships that find themselves in conflicts to find better ways to resolve their issues.

He added: “You can use the continuum of de-escalation whether you either be passive and walk away; be assertive and get your point across in a coherent manner so that the person may understand what it is you want and you can help them meet their needs as they meet your needs.

“The aggression will not be fruitful in any way as the result of this incident here today.

“You can also simply end the relationship rather than continue on and have incidents like these recur and cause persons in the community to be affected by it because in this incident, family members are affected because someone has to take care of who would’ve been left behind.”