The search is on in Keego Harbor, Michigan, for a couple who left a restaurant without paying and then hit their server with their car as they fled.
It happened during the dinner rush Friday night outside of El Camino restaurant. The suspects drove off in a 2005-2009 dark-colored Mercedes C Class.
“I'm just extremely sore," said Keirah Stack, the server and victim. "I have an infection in my knee now, basically learning to walk all over again.”
With visible bruises and cuts on her ankles and knees, Stack says it’s a miracle she has no broken bones. However, she's still unable to walk and still in shock over what happened Friday night.
“I just remember, oh my gosh, that did not just happen," Stack said. "There's no way they ran me over and are just pulling off.”
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Stack was one of two servers working at El Camino that night when she says a couple in their 50s came in to eat and had complaints from the very start.
“She was unsatisfied with her drink, he said his beer was flat, so I proceed to make them more margaritas. I made them about three rounds of margaritas because they were not satisfied with any of the margaritas they had," Stack said. "After they drank about half of the margarita, they’d complain and ask for another one.”
After multiple drinks and eating full appetizers, Stack says the couple complained the entrees were taking too long and decided to leave.
“She said 'No, we’re just going to leave.' I said 'OK, I'll bring your tab over.' As I start bringing the tab over, they get up and walk out and I said, 'Absolutely not,'” Stack recalled.
Stack says she ran after them intending just to get their license plate. But as she got in front of the couple's car, they came to a full stop. Stack says she then stepped to the side of the vehicle as the man backed up and ran her over.
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“I was like right in front of the headlight basically because as I said, she was rolling down the window. I thought they were going to give me money or something, and then he backed up and proceeded to run me over,” Stack said.
Customers watched the incident unfold, including Stack's mom, Marina, who was eating inside.
“I'm watching and I'm like, 'Oh no,'" Marina Stack said. "All of a sudden, to see her go up and go down and I'm like, 'They hit her!' And I shot out the door.”
Marina Stack was one of the first people at her daughter's side.
“I saw the tire tracks going across her legs and her foot, her ankle, and I couldn't believe it,” Marina Stack said.
Keirah Stack got a partial license plate number. Now police, Keirah Stack’s family and her coworkers are all putting out a plea for answers.
“We’re a family and no matter who you hurt in this family, we all stick together," El Camino general manager Brianna Furton said. "We're doing everything in our power to find these people that hurt one of our own.”
“She's a trooper," Marina Stack said. "We're just hoping these people get caught because there's no way, there's no way these people did not know what they did.”
"Keego is a small place. Everybody knows each other," Keirah Stack added. "Somebody’s got to know something.”
This article was originally published by Brett Kast and Jordan Nagel for Scripps News Detroit.
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