HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — A dispute involving an Amazon driver and construction workers in Hamtramck turned dangerous Thursday when an excavator struck the delivery driver, an incident captured on video that has since circulated on social media.
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Hamtramck police say the man operating the excavator was arrested. The incident remains under investigation, and the construction worker has not been charged.
The confrontation happened near Sobieski Street and Commor Avenue.
Video of the incident appears to show construction workers upset with the Amazon driver for parking in their work zone. Moments later, the excavator can be seen striking the driver.
Mamoon Abuhamra, who lives about a block away, said he was stunned when he saw the video.
“He just hits him like that and he doesn’t care? And he’s still going,” Abuhamra said. “What is wrong with people?”
Abuhamra questioned how a disagreement over someone doing their job could escalate so quickly.
“Anybody that reacts like that for somebody just doing their job, no, I don’t think they should be working construction,” he said.
He also expressed disbelief at what the video showed.
“Who in their right mind would do that? Like just run over a person,” Abuhamra said.
Police confirmed the excavator operator was taken into custody, which Abuhamra said brought him some peace of mind, particularly because children regularly play in the neighborhood.
“I actually feel a lot better because, as I mentioned, I do have nieces and nephews that play near the street all day, every day,” he said.
Other neighbors said the incident has rattled people living nearby.
“The senior citizens are scared of it and the children also saw it from different houses, and I think that’s not a good lesson for them,” said Furkam Chowdhery, who lives across the street from where the incident happened.
Abuhamra said he hopes the incident prompts further evaluation of the construction crew.
“I hope they check the construction team, the whole crew, like physically and mentally check them to make sure they don’t do that to someone else because that’s not right,” he said.
7 News Detroit reached out to the construction company for comment, but the company declined.
Hamtramck police say the case remains under investigation.
