Upset Listener Rams Car Into Portland Radio Stations
The employees at a Portland broadcasting company got quite a shock Friday afternoon when a car smashed into the lobby of two radio stations, causing damage and coming within inches of the company’s receptionist.
KXL-AM Radio reports an upset listener drove his white Toyota through the front of the building before backing up and taking off. The listener, which has been identified as a man from Vancouver, Washington who was upset over an incident that happened years ago with KXL-AM’s sister-station KXJM, known on-air as Jammin’ 95.5 FM. KXL-AM employees were able to make out the license plate of the car and police arrested the man, who has not yet been identified, at his home. Police towed away his white Toyota as evidence.
Neighbors of the man said he was disturbed by an incident that occurred on the KXJM morning program The Playhouse in which one of the DJs made fun of him. They claim the man had talked about doing something in revenge against teh station, but they never took him seriously.
“We’ll be outside, and he’ll stop by before he goes home and says I’m going to be on the news soon, you better watch the news,” neighbor William Veale told Fox affiliate KPTV. “He’s had this planned out.”
Police did not charge the man with a crime as of Friday evening. The man is currently under a mental evaluation. KXJM is an urban Top 40 station serving the Portland, Oregon listening area. Both KXJM and KXL-AM are owned by Rose City Radio Corporation, which in turned is owned by Portland Trailblazers owner Paul Allen.
I'm a 21-year-old technology, music and local media blogger from Sacramento, California.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
ummm.. yeah.. mental evaluation.. He’s darn lucky he didn’t hit the receptionist!!! See.. the thing about this is.. if you don’t want to be made fun of, don’t call into a radio station…