A father who is recovering after he was hurt in a crash involving a carjacker shares an update about the status of his health. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.
A man who was one of several people injured in a crash involving a suspected carjacker in Beverly Hills says from his hospital bed that he has no recollection of last week’s terrifying events.
Russell Stuart is still recovering from the crash as he continues medical treatment at Cedars Sinai. He said he has a broken arm, elbow, a dislocated tricep and other injuries.
“The list is way too long for me to memorize,” he said.
On Friday, a man carjacked a BMW X3 in Beverly Hills and took off, according to police. Shortly after, law enforcement were notified of a crash involving that same BMW near Wilshire Boulevard and Camden Drive.
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A total of four people, including one child, were hurt in the crash. Among those was Stuart, who was the most severely injured.
The father and military veteran said he, his wife and their 6-year-old daughter were at the annual Beverly Hills tree lighting ceremony when the incident happened. He went to buy a balloon for his daughter when the crash happened.
“I was walking with my dog, found the balloon, walked up to the vendor, pulled the money out of my pocket to pay for the balloon, bent down to pay for the balloon, heard the tire screeching around the corner, turned my head briefly, and literally lights went out, and I woke up in an ambulance,” he said.
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His pooch was pinned under one of the cars but survived. Stuart said his family is counting on a full recovery from them both.
James Portul, 22, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested in connection with the carjacking.
