Man accused of assaulting woman with truck in a St. Paul parking lot

An Oakdale man faces a felony assault charge after allegedly running over a woman with his pickup truck in the parking lot of a Target store in St. Paul.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports 56-year-old Christian Smalley allegedly veered his truck toward a 23-year-old woman as she stepped off the sidewalk last Wednesday.

Authorities say the woman was thrown onto the hood of the truck before falling beneath it and being dragged, then run over. She suffered scrapes and bruises.

Police say Smalley told officers the woman jumped in front of his truck, and that he also had stopped taking medications for a mental illness. A home telephone listing for him could not be found.

Smalley could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.