Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 300 pounds, truck driver Edwin “Buddy” Jones looks like a formidable opponent, but that didn’t stop two thugs from repeatedly stabbing Jones and attempting to rob him.
In an interview with Kimberly A.C. Wilson, of The Oregonian , Jones recounted the scene.
The incident occurred on Friday at a rest area just off of mile marker 24, along Interstate 84 in Oregon. At approximately 11:00 p.m., Jones pulled off of the highway and into the rest area. He was hoping to wait out the traffic and take his dog, Shooter, out for a quick walk.
Despite the darkness, freezing rain and 45 mph wind gusts, Jones stepped out of his truck, lit up a cigarette and started walking.
As he headed back to his truck, Jones says he was approached by two men.
“I figured nothing was wrong because folks often ask truckers for info about traffic,” Jones told The Oregonian.
But something was wrong, one of the men demanded Jones give him cash.
Remaining calm, Jones told the man he didn’t have any cash.
The other man then asked Jones for a cigarette. Despite the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Jones told them man he didn’t smoke.
Not getting what they demanded, one of the men then pulled a knife.
“I’m bald, I’ve got full sleeve tattoos on both arms. I don’t look nice,” Jones said. “But I guess two little guys figured they could take on a fat guy with a knife.”
Not one to back down from a fight, Jones stood his ground and tried to fend off the knife.
“He said he blocked the first blow, taking a stab wound in his left palm. Then the man with the knife swung wildly, Jones said, slicing him in the forearm and stomach,” The Oregonian reported.
A gust of wind knocked the man and Jones to the ground and Jones managed to land a hard, solid punch to the 100-pound man’s neck.
After the man was able to catch his breath, he and his partner ran away.
Jones was bleeding heavily. He got back into his truck and dialed 9-1-1.
Jones said he tried to get a good look at the men, but give the darkness and freezing rain, it was hard to get a good look at them.
“It was dark, the wind was blowing really bad, it was freezing rain, so did I have a good picture of these guys? No,” Jones said. “But if you see a guy with a big bruise in the neck, that’s our guy.”
Jones told police that the men ran back to a “low-slung black sports utility vehicle.”
His attacker is described as a scrawny man in his 20s with light facial hair. He was wearing a black beanie, gray-black hoodie sweatshirt and dark cargo pants. The man’s friend was described as “having a darker complexion and heavier build.”
Jones went to the hospital and received several stitches to close up the lacerations. He is currently recovering.