HOLIDAY, Fla. (WFLA) — Update:The FHP says the gold 1998 Ford Expedition has not been found, and has been reported stolen by the registered owner. FHP investigators have indicated two persons of interest involved in this case, identified as Christopher Micheal Try and Kevin Wilson. Both have a criminal history with the Pasco Sheriff's Office.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run that happened Monday on Moog Road in Holiday.
Home surveillance video shows a gold Ford Explorer fishtailing down Moog Road towards US-19. The video shows the driver run into a family’s front yard, hit their truck, swing back out into the street and then hit a 7th-grade boy who was riding his bike.
14-year-old Johnny Walsh Jr. told News Channel 8 he saw the SUV coming, but didn’t realize what happened until he was on the ground.
“He almost ran me over too, but I hurried up and rolled the other way,” he says.
In the video, it appears Walsh braces for the impact. He told us he tried to push himself off the car, so he wouldn’t roll underneath it once he was on the ground.
"I don’t remember saying anything except, ‘I needed my parents’,” says Johnny.
When his parents arrived on scene, they were shocked.
“I felt the pain he was feeling,” says his father, Johnny Walsh, Sr. “Then, when I saw the video and how he just ran him over and took off, it was just as shocking.”
He was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for road rash, bruises and a sore hip. Now, he’s worried he won’t be able to play basketball for school.
“I was planning on playing for the team next,” he said. “That’s why I have been working so hard to keep my grades up.”
Before hitting Johnny, the video shows the Explorer whipping onto Moog Road, fishtailing, swerving into Jacki Lilly’s front yard and hitting her truck.
“My granddaughter was sitting here on the other side of the wall where he pushed our truck into,” she says. “There were angels in my front yard.”
It’s a sentiment the Walsh family can agree with, saying it is a miracle Johnny walked away with minor cuts and bruises.
The driver of the SUV took off without stopping to check to see if Walsh was okay.
“Just be a man and come forward. You could have killed my son,” Walsh’s father, Johnny Walsh Sr., said.
FHP is investigating this hit-and-run. If you have any information about the driver, call them immediately.
Photo Credit: Pasco Sheriff's Office
Story and Video Credit: News Channel 8
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