Mohammad Fawad Mohammadi is an Afghani immigrant and veteran interpreter for the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan. He lives in Oregon now, with a wife and young child. He’s recovering from some pretty serious injuries in Portland at the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Those injuries, including the amputation of one of his legs below the knee, were caused by Perry G. Nicolopoulos, a 68-year-old man. Mohammadi, his wife, and child were reportedly involved in a minor accident in a Walgreens parking lot. He and his wife got out of the car to inspect damage when the other driver, Nicolopoulos, put his car in reverse to slam the Mohammadis’ car—with their infant still inside. The Portland Tribune reports:
Mohammadi, 27, was able to push his wife to safety, but he was struck by the other driver's vehicle and pinned between the two cars. Police said the assailant then pulled forward and, without warning, drove toward Mohammadi again; this time, he was able to roll out of the way.
"I called to my wife to grab the baby and run," Mohammadi told The Review on Monday. "She acted quickly, but our car was rammed three times with the baby inside. I'm so lucky they're both OK."
While Nicolopoulos sped away, Mohammadi waited for emergency help to arrive, and was airlifted to the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where he is recovering today. Nicolopoulos was arrested later on, and police have decided to charge him with attempted murder.
The Lincoln City Police Department, Oregon State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Newport Police Department and Toledo Police Department worked through the night to investigate the crash, and Lincoln City Police Lt. Jerry Palmer told the Lincoln City Newsguard that his department now believes Nicolopoulos intentionally rammed Mohammadi.
"We believe he intentionally rammed this vehicle," Palmer said. "Whether it was rage or being under the influence, we are still waiting for results of toxicology tests. But we believe something in this guy's life background or personality caused him to randomly strike the vehicle."
A GoFundMe has been set up by Mohammadi’s coworkers, for the family to deal with medical bills. As KATU explains, Mohammadi is a well-loved member of his Oswego community.
The Portland father typically runs the chef's counter at the Lake Oswego Palisades Market.
“He’s just such a hardworker and a wonderful soul,” said Laurie Boss, Mohammadi’s co-worker. “I'm shattered, I'm pretty shattered that someone could do this intentionally for no reason."
“To have it hit this close to home and to one of our own, it’s devastating,” another co-worker, Stephanie Agramonte, added.
Besides the loss of his leg, Mohammadi is dealing with broken bones in his hips and spine. It’s too early to say if this was racially motivated, or simply a road rage incident involving an “unbiased” psychopath.