TACOMA, Wash. — A Tacoma woman hit by a car during a January demonstration said she is grateful police arrested the alleged driver.
Witnesses and detectives said the driver intentionally jumped a curb, hit Theresa Evans and drove away.
Evans was involved in a demonstration regarding the homeless while Tacoma city leaders were meeting inside the LeMay American Car Museum, near the Tacoma Dome.
Evans, who is now recovering at home, spent 50 days at Harborview Medical Center. She said doctors told her the internal bleeding could have killed her. Evans suffered a fractured spine, a broken pelvis, and a concussion.
She now walks with the help of a cane.
“People say, ‘Oh yeah, well she can walk, she can move, it’s not that bad.’ It really was bad,” said Evans.
She said she doesn’t remember being hit, but is glad witnesses were able to describe the driver’s truck and got license plate information for police.
Detectives said that information helped them identify the driver who they tracked to Bend, Oregon where he was arrested last Friday.
Evans said she is grateful for the arrest. She said she is not seeking revenge. Instead, she hopes the arrest will prevent that driver, or others, from hurting people involved in demonstrations.
“He had the attitude he could do that. No you can’t do that,” said Evans. “It’s really the attitude that if somebody is against what I believe or what I’m thinking, I can hurt them.”
The suspect will be in a Pierce County courtroom to face an assault and hit-and-run charges later in the week.