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Thankful to be alive after L5P sidewalk crash
Witnesses to a crash on a sidewalk in Little 5 Points early Sunday morning tell FOX 5 Atlanta they are grateful to be alive. A woman who reportedly worked for a local pub was arrested after the incident.
ATLANTA - A woman drove her car onto a busy sidewalk in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood early Sunday morning, narrowly missing bystanders seated at outdoor tables before crashing into a nearby business, according to witnesses and video shared online.
What we know:
The incident happened outside the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club, where several people were gathered when they heard loud crashing noises and suddenly saw a vehicle coming toward them on the sidewalk.
What they're saying:
"It was scary because you just don’t know what’s going on," said witness Megen Chey.
Chey said she and her friends were sitting outside when people began running to get out of the way. Video from the scene shows bystanders scrambling as the car moved between outdoor tables and a building.
"Everybody started kind of like running, getting out of the way," Chey said. "We were sitting at the tables outside and jumped to the barricade to get to the street."
Witnesses said several people yelled for the driver to stop, but the video appears to show the driver accelerating and striking a business more than once.
"She was going — even when she was stuck she was still flooring the gas," Chey said. "She was trying to drive down that sidewalk."
Bystanders eventually intervened, placing the vehicle in park and removing the driver’s keys. Later video shows police handcuffing the driver at the scene.
Despite the chaos, no bystanders were injured.
"It was honestly kind of impressive how people were willing to put themselves into harm’s way to make sure that no one else got injured," Chey said.
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RAW: Crash on sidewalk in Little 5 Points caught on camera
A crash on a sidewalk in Atlanta's Little 5 Points neighborhood was caught on camera over the weekend. Video courtesy of Megen Chey.
What's next:
Atlanta police said the incident remains under investigation and have not confirmed what caused the driver to get onto the sidewalk. Authorities also have not yet said whether the driver will face criminal charges.
Dig deeper:
It was initially reported that the woman involved in the incident was employed by Little 5 Pub. The tavern posted a message on social media that said:
"Little 5 Pub is aware of an incident involving one of our employees and neighboring businesses. We are grateful that no one was seriously injured and are taking this matter very seriously.
The conduct involved does not align with our values or standards. The individual is no longer employed by Little 5 Pub. We are reviewing the situation internally and will take appropriate steps as needed. We are in direct communication with the affected businesses and are cooperating fully with authorities.
We remain committed to being a responsible and respectful member of the Little Five Points community."
However, they later removed the message, saying:
"Our earlier post regarding a recent incident has been removed as the investigation is ongoing. We appreciate the community’s understanding."
EARLIER STORY: Little 5 Pub employee fired after allegedly crashing into business
The woman who was placed into handcuffs after the incident can be clearly seen wearing a Little 5 Pub t-shirt.