Man awarded over $1 million after 2020 assault by Retriever Towing employee
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A jury has awarded a man over $1.185 million after he was assaulted in a tow yard by a Retriever Towing employee in 2020 -- leaving the man with facial bone fractures and PTSD, according to his attorneys.
The attack happened July 3, 2020, when Curtis Bunch parked in a disabled parking space at Retriever Towing's Salem location to get his vehicle that was wrongfully towed, according to Bunch's attorneys at Paul Krueger Law Firm, noting Bunch is a decorated war hero with a state-issued permanent disabled veteran license plate and a disability parking placard.
Richard Pinkerton, the manager of operations at Retriever Towing’s Salem location, confronted Bunch about parking in the disabled parking space.
After Bunch refused to move his truck from the parking space, Pinkerton accused him of trespassing. As Pinkerton left the space to get a tow truck, Bunch -- a concealed permit holder -- grabbed a handgun from his vehicle and put it in the back of his waistband, Bunch's attorneys said.
Pinkerton returned to the area, got out of the tow truck and asked Bunch to drop his weapon, but after Bunch refused, Pinkerton hit Bunch, grabbed his gun and threw it across the parking lot, according to court documents.
Pinkerton called police and reported that Bunch was menacing. On the scene, police handcuffed Bunch and placed him in the back of a squad car, where Bunch had a panic attack, and because of a fracture to the bones in his face, blood started gushing from his nose, his attorneys said.
Bunch was taken to an emergency department where he was diagnosed with three fractures of his maxillofacial bone. After the incident, Bunch was left with “extreme PTSD,” his attorneys said.
While Pinkerton claimed he was defending himself after Bunch pulled a gun on him, video of the incident shows Bunch holstered his gun in his back waistband.
After a jury found Pinkerton guilty of fourth-degree assault, Bunch encouraged the judge, "as one veteran on behalf of another," to not include any jail time in Pinkerton's sentence and to instead require Pinkerton to take anger management courses.
The judge ended up sentencing Pinkerton to 1.5 years' probation, which includes required anger management courses, along with seven days of house arrest.
Retriever Towing did not immediately respond to KOIN 6 News’ request for comment. This story will be updated if we receive a response.