Portland business owner saved by officer as armed car thieves beat him with bat

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Portland man lucky to be alive after attack outside his business

Rinella Produce owner David Rinella describes the violent attack that landed him in the hospital after trying to stop a car theft

A Portland, Oregon business owner is grateful to be alive after surviving a brutal attack by suspects attempting to break into his car.

The disturbing incident caught on video shows Rinella Produce owner David Rinella being repeatedly hit with a baseball bat while trying to thwart the break-in. He suffered five broken ribs, a punctured lung and broken shoulder blade before a police officer passing the scene intervened. 

"Please call the police and don't try to do anything," Rinella told "FOX & Friends" Wednesday after being released from the hospital. "At 63 years old, I'm not what I used to be… I just couldn't get up every time I got up, I got put back down. This lady seemed like she had superhuman strength." 

PORTLAND WOMAN KNOCKED OUT BY ATTACKER BLAMES CITY FOR SLOW POLICE RESPONSE: ‘WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES’

Surveillance video from Rinella Produce shows owner David Rinella being brutally beaten with a baseball bat after he tried to stop suspects from breaking into his car in Portland, Oregon. (Rinella Produce/'FOX & Friends')

"Then I got a gun pulled me, a nine millimeter, and the guy wanted my keys," he continued. "That's when an officer just came by, by accident… I was so happy to see him. He stopped everything."

When asked by host Ainsley Earhardt what would have happened if the officer had not passed by, Rinella responded: "I wouldn't be having this interview this morning." 

The attack highlights a disturbing trend in crime and drugs, resulting in Oregon's City Commissioner of Public Safety warning residents against calling the city's 911 system unless it is a matter of life or death. 

"Our 911 system is getting hammered this morning with a multiple person incident - multiple overdoses in northwest park blocks," Rene Gonzalez wrote on X. "Please do not call 911 except in event of life/death emergency or crime in progress (or chance of apprehending suspect). For non-emergency please use 503-823-3333."

Dusk shot of Portland, Oregon skyline. (David Papazian via Getty Images)

Rinella described his city as being overrun by homeless camps, adding that he tries to help the less fortunate on a daily basis.

Oregon State Police data through November 2022 shows overall crime leveling off in all three counties. But the trend has not been mirrored within Portland city limits where crime increased another 9% last year, according to police data. The City of Roses also set a new homicide record for the second year in a row.

Despite the violent attack, Rinella said he plans to stay in Portland.  

"I don't tap out. No one pushes our company away or the Rinella family away," he said.

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FOX News' Bailee Hill and Hannah Ray Lambert contributed to this report.

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