UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Over the weekend, a University Place restaurant owner was the victim of an attempted carjacking- but the suspect didn’t get away the way he planned.
On Saturday, Amanjit Randhawa, the owner of India Mahal, stepped outside to warm up his car.
It was then that a man jumped into the car and tried to take off. As Randhawa tried to stop him, the suspect floored it into the building.
“I see a shadowy figure right there run up, make a beeline towards my car,” Randhawa recalled.
After the crash, Randhawa said the suspect tried to back out and drive away, but ended up dragging him along with the car.
“I’m seeing it happen in live action. So I run up to my car, open the door, and next thing you know, we’re wrestling,” Randhawa said of the incident.
Bystanders jumped in to help and pulled the suspect out of the car, holding him down until deputies showed up.
Thankfully, Randhawa walked away with only cuts and bruises.
The business is boarded up but still open.
Randhawa told KIRO 7 that there is expected tens of thousands of dollars in damage between the car and the storefront.
“This is really, really hard for him and his family. You know, he’s been a long-time member of our community, and we all want to see him succeed,” said longtime customer Ed Tuck.
Tuck points out that Randhawa’s father is also fighting stage 4 colon cancer.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the business to help with repair expenses.
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