Tire iron thrown into car sends teen with ‘infectious smile’ to Oregon hospital, cops say

A 13-year-old was hospitalized after a tire iron was thrown into the car he was riding in, Oregon officials said.

At 7 p.m. on June 24, Portland police were called by Clackamas County Sheriff deputies to assist in the possible crime scene in southeast Portland, according to a news release by police.

Jamari Woodard, 13, was in a moving car when a man approached the car and threw a tire iron, “which flew into the backseat and lodged in Woodard’s skull,” according to The Oregonian.

Woodard’s family told KPTV that a witness drove the teen to the hospital in their own car. Then he was airlifted to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

“I’m not going to speculate on the person who has done this,” family spokesperson Michelle Bart told KGW 8. “We don’t know if it was intentional. We don’t know if it was accidental. What we do know is that a 13-year-old innocent boy is in pediatric ICU and we need him to be OK.”

McClatchy News reached out to Bart on June 29 and is awaiting a response.

“If you have ever been on the basketball courts at Woodmere or Lane then you know Jamari,” a GoFundMe page said. “He has a quick wit and infectious smile.”

As of June 29, Jamari remains in the ICU but “has made small strides overnight,” according to a Facebook page set up after the incident.

Doctors were able to remove the teen’s breathing tube and he is breathing on his own, but he still “cannot keep food down, so they had to put the feeding tube back in to assist with his nutrition,” the Facebook post said.

“In the blink of an eye, life changes. My baby just graduated middle school, today he is fighting for his life,” Woodard’s mother said on Facebook. “I’m lost for words and we are all so very numb.”

Police said this incident is under investigation and ask anyone with information to email brett.hawkinsons@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-166081, according to the release.

This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Tire iron thrown into car sends teen with ‘infectious smile’ to Oregon hospital, cops say."