Family narrowly escapes being hit by car involved in police chase

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - A normal day playing in the yard turned into a close call for one Ohio family after they say a car crashed through the neighborhood and nearly hit them.

Police said the driver of the car had led them on a chase.

The family said if it weren’t for their neighbor’s fence, the situation could have been much worse.

“As the car hit the first set of fences, I knew then and there that we needed to do something and I needed to act fast,” Robert McCreary said.

He and his partner, Sammie Hagaman, were playing with their young children in the front yard Saturday afternoon when a car came right at them.

Video shows the car crashing into their neighbor’s metal fence, rolling across the yard and smacking into the other side of the fence where McCreary and Hagaman’s family were playing.

“His reaction was so quick. We looked at each other, we jumped up, I grabbed the kids, he grabbed the dogs, and we ran in the house,” Hagaman said.

A neighbor said the crash caused nearly $2,000 worth of damage to the chain fence, which was bent forward and partially knocked down.

Police dashcam video showed the terrifying moment of impact and McCreary jumping into action to save his dogs from getting hit while Hagaman got the kids to safety.

“It was really scary. I mean, I was shaking for hours,” Hagaman said. “All that kept playing through my head was that could’ve been my dogs, that could’ve been my neighbor, that could’ve been my kids.”

Police say the man driving the car was 30-year-old Marcus Anthony Johnson Jr., who lives on the same block as the young family.

Officers said he led them on a chase after he failed to pull over for speeding and running through a red light.

The pursuit went through Whitmer High School’s parking lot. Johnson can be seen hitting speed bumps and jumping curbs before ripping onto Tremainsville Road going the wrong way, forcing cars off the road.

Johnson then hits several traffic barrels and signs before turning a sharp left onto Chippewa Road, kicking up dust.

He crashed into the fence and attempted to run away while the car was still moving. Johnson fell and police arrested him.

Police said Johnson was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Hagaman and McCreary, after seeing the dashcam video, said it’s lucky no one else was hurt.

“I mean, each one of these people that he’s passing, those are all people’s lives that he could’ve taken,” Hagaman said.

Johnson faces a felony charge related to fleeing from police, along with several traffic citations. His bond was set at $30,000, and his next court date is set for Sept. 16.

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