Man Who Struck Afghan Translator Faces 16-Count Indictment

By Conrad Wilson (OPB)
Portland, Ore. March 16, 2018 5:19 p.m.
Perry G. Nicolopoulos, 68, of Puyallup, Wash., in a March 6 photo taken at Lincoln County Jail.

Perry G. Nicolopoulos, 68, of Puyallup, Wash., in a March 6 photo taken at Lincoln County Jail.

Lincoln County Jail

A Lincoln County grand jury has indicted a Washington man accused of using his vehicle as a weapon against a former translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

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Perry Nicolopoulos was indicted Thursday in Lincoln County Circuit Court on 16 counts, including numerous assault charges, attempted murder and driving under the influence. He's set to be arraigned on the charges Monday morning.

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Police said Nicolopoulos reversed and accelerated his Honda Fit toward Mohammad Fawad Mohammadi, hitting him twice after the two men were in a minor collision in a parking lot near midnight on March 6.

Mohammadi was driving with his wife and young son when Nicolopoulos hit him. Mohammadi sustained extensive injuries and was flown by helicopter to a Portland hospital.

This week, doctors amputated a part of his leg that was badly damaged during the incident, according to a fundraising website set up by Mohammadi's co-workers.

Lincoln City Police are still searching for a motive, but said again Friday there’s no evidence of a hate crime.

Mohammadi works at Palisades Market, a grocery store in Lake Oswego. He arrived in the U.S. about three years ago, according to co-workers.

According to an online fundraising page, more than $50,000 has been raised to help Mohammadi pay for medical bills.

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