BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. — A Lexington County mother's quick reaction helped avoid a potential tragedy as she yanked her children out of the way of a suspect's speeding vehicle.
The incident happened Wednesday afternoon on Dixie Street in Batesburg-Leesville.
Ciara Johnson says around 3 p.m. she walked down her driveway to pick up her children from the bus stop. Shortly after her children got off the bus, she says a pickup truck came barreling down the road and nearly struck her kids.
"As I heard it I looked and turn and that's when he flew but before he started to come I started to walk [toward my children]," she said.
In a video taken by a neighbor's surveillance camera, Johnson can be seen pulling the children out from the vehicle's path.
:"I guess my mother’s instinct kicked in and I just did what I needed to do without even thinking, I just reacted," Johnson said. "It was so fast, four seconds later and it was over."
The pickup continued driving onto a lawn and then away from the property.
"It was very scary, and to be honest with you, when I got on the bus, I was shaking so bad that my neighbor had to hold me still," Johnson says.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said the pickup was driven by 21-year-old Devon Ray Shealy. Officers said they'd tried to pull over Shealy who they say was driving a stolen truck. Koon states the suspect didn't stop, and after driving near Johnson's property, eventually hit a patrol vehicle before crashing on its own.
Shealy was then taken into custody.
Johnson's children were not hurt and while they were shaken up, they returned to school on Thursday. But she said this is a day she'll never be able to get out of her mind. "I could’ve lost one to three of my kids in a matter of three seconds," she said.
In court Wednesday, Shealy was denied bond. He faces nine charges including reckless driving and assault. Law enforcement says more charges are possible.