ALEXANDRIA, Va. — An Alexandria teenager who survived a hit-and-run crash said the driver of a box truck came towards him on the sidewalk.
Javone Scott, 15, said he was walking to his friends near the corner of Montgomery and North Patrick Streets around 3 p.m. on Wednesday when a driver hit him from behind.
Police said the unknown driver of the Penske truck headed around the back of George Washington Middle School and nearly struck more children. A school resource officer took out his gun to stop the driver from getting closer.
No one was hurt when the driver left. The box truck was later found abandoned.
“I’m glad that I’m alive,” Javone Scott told WUSA9. “That junk just hit me and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
Javone Scott remembered hearing the engine get louder behind him but was unable to get out of the way fast enough.
“When I saw the car driving on the sidewalk, I tried to run,” Javone added. “I couldn't beat it in time. It sped up on me and all I felt was me being lifted up. I hit the ground. I got up. All of my body was numb.”
He said he had enough adrenaline to stand up and call for help. His mother Samantha Scott ran out of the house to hear her son crying.
“I wanted to freaking go crazy,” Samantha Scott said. “I had so many bad thoughts going through my mind, but I needed to make sure my child was okay. I knew he was still alive because he was calling [me]. It’s so heartbreaking to go through that.”
Javone Scott doubts this was an accident. He said after the truck hit him, it came back around.
“I actually thought they were going to get me again,” Javone said. “I was very, very scared.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact APD by calling the non-emergency number at (703) 746-4444.
In a letter to staff and families, George Washington Middle School Principal Jeanette Vinson, said the decision to put the school into a secure status was made out of an abundance of caution and lasted for less than 10 minutes before normal operations resumed. Students who witnessed the stressful event may reach out to a counselor, social worker, administrator or any trusted adult at GW or can connect with Crisis Text and Crisis Link at:
- Text: CONNECT to 85511
- Call Crisis Link: 703-527-4077