Driver rams into homeless man, leaves him in the street in Griffin, troopers say

GRIFFIN, Ga. - A store surveillance camera captured the shocking moment a hit-and-run driver struck a homeless man near the intersection of North Hill Street and West Broad Street in Griffin on Monday morning.

In the video, the victim can be seen walking across the street when he stumbles and falls, dropping his belongings. As he is picking them up, the truck proceeds to run him over.

The Georgia State Patrol is handling the investigation. Troopers returned to the scene Monday afternoon to gather additional evidence.

A friend of the victim spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta.

"He's a wonderful person, will give you the shirt off his back, will help anybody," Patricia Hamilton told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes. Hamilton was in the area when he was struck.

"I saw the ambulance, and they were loading him on a stretcher and everything," she said. "It scared me to death. I thought he was dead."

Medics rushed the man to an area hospital.

Hamilton wondered how something like this could happen.

"I don't know who [or] what was wrong with them, because anybody in their right mind would have at least slammed on the brakes or something," Hamilton said. "I never heard the car squeal or anything, you know, I guess they just were half asleep, because it was so early in the morning, and struck him and just knocked him all the way, you know, up there."

The victim suffered significant injuries. Anyone with information on the case can contact the Georgia State Patrol.