An Oregon man has been charged with attempted murder after being accused of trying to shove a coworker at a tree service company into a running wood chipper.
Scott Edward Iverson, 26, of Stayton, is also charged with fourth-degree assault, according to Marion County Jail records. He is being held without bond.
Keizer police officials told KPTV in Portland that Iverson and several other workers were working at a job site Thursday when he approached the victim, who was loading brush into the wood chipper, from behind. Iverson is accused of putting the man in a choke hold and pushing his upper torso onto the feed table of the machine.
The victim, 22, told police he struggled with Iverson, who made a second attempt to throw him headfirst into the machine before another employee saw the struggle and pulled Iverson off of the man, KPTV reported. Iverson walked away from the scene, but police found him the following afternoon at a restaurant in nearby Stayton, which is located about 12 miles southeast of Salem.
The victim told investigators he had no idea why Iverson attacked him, the news station said. He said he thought he was going to die in the assault.
