Campbell Police are looking for a driver who they believe intentionally ran over an unhoused man, then took off.
The incident happened Thursday night after 9:30 p.m. in downtown Campbell. The victim is said to be doing okay, despite being hit head-on by the driver.
Surveillance video footage of the incident showed a black SUV approach the intersection and run over the victim walking across Campbell Avenue. The victim, who is known to police, is now out of the hospital and recovering.
“It was upsetting and disturbing that somebody would hit someone and not stop,” Elizabeth Johnson, a manager at Recycle Bookstore next door to the scene of the hit and run, said.
Campbell Police said that the incident began earlier in the night, when the victim had some sort of run-in with the driver.
“At this point, we do have information that there was some sort of verbal dispute between the parties involved, the pedestrian and the driver of the vehicle,” Campbell Police agent Edith Fong said.
They’re now looking for the man driving what appears to be a black BMW X-3, describing him as Middle Eastern between 20 and 30 years old.
“It’s very troubling. It’s hard to see something like that happen. It is a felony offense and we are investigating it as such,” Fong said.
Police said they’ve had contact with the victim in the past when responding to reported disturbances.
Local merchants said the unhoused often walk the streets of downtown Campbell.
“Some can be [aggressive]. Others are like local members of the community. So we see them everyday. You kind of get to know them,” Johnson said.
Police said they are focused on finding the driver of that black SUV.
Source: NBC Bay Area