A 20-year-old Prichard woman is recovering from a head injury she says she suffered when a stranger struck her with a tire iron outside a gas station on Highway 45, an attack she believes could have been avoided had store employees called for help when she first asked.
The woman, who is not being publicly identified, said she and her fiancé had stopped at the station when a man approached them and insisted he recognized her from the neighborhood, claiming she owed him $60. She denied ever meeting him. “I don’t know you at all,” she recalled telling him, but she said the man refused to walk away and continued to loiter near the couple as the confrontation escalated.
Growing frightened, the woman said she repeatedly asked a store clerk to call 911. The man left the property for several minutes, she said, but rather than driving off he returned to the store armed with a tire iron.
According to the woman, the man struck her fiancé in the back before turning the weapon on her, hitting her in the head hard enough to draw significant blood. She said other people inside the store watched the confrontation unfold without intervening, and that when she again begged someone to call 911, the man told her he would not allow it.
The couple left the station and drove directly to a hospital, where they were treated for their injuries.
Employees at the gas station were reluctant to discuss the incident afterward. One worker behind the counter said he was “not really” the manager and said he had “no idea” what had happened when asked about the confrontation.
The Prichard Police Department is investigating the assault, which the victim said occurred on a Wednesday afternoon. As of this week, officers had not yet finalized a written report on the case; investigators are typically allowed three to five business days to complete documentation on incidents of this kind. The woman said she provided police with a description of her attacker, though that information has not been publicly released while the investigation continues.
Violent confrontations at gas stations and convenience stores remain an ongoing concern for law enforcement across Mobile County, who routinely urge employees and bystanders to contact 911 immediately when a dispute appears to be escalating rather than waiting to see how the situation develops. Prompt reporting, officials note, can make the difference between a de-escalated confrontation and a violent one.
Prichard Police are asking anyone with information about the incident, including anyone who witnessed the confrontation at the Highway 45 station, to contact the department. Investigators say the case remains open as they work to identify and locate the man responsible.