MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A man caught in the middle of a fatal police chase is speaking out about the ordeal for the first time.
Authorities said the man was driving on the north freeway near West Road when a suspect on the run struck him.
The suspect, Joseph Jebbia, is allegedly a career criminal who was on the run for shooting a woman he was involved with.
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The man, terrified about who Jebbia may have been involved with, asked us to conceal his identity.
Authorities said he was driving a white Toyota when Jebbia slammed into him. He recounted the moment he became collateral damage.
The man told ABC13 it happened Wednesday afternoon when he was heading home.
He said the crash happened so fast and the impact was intense. All he knew was someone in a red truck hit him.
The man said he saw the red truck take off and police cars zoom past chasing after it.
At the time, he had no idea he was caught in the middle of a high-speed police chase.
The man was also unaware that a woman, waiting for the bus, was hit seconds after he felt the impact.
When he exited the car, he saw a woman lying in the street.
At first, he thought he had hit and killed her.
A woman who witnessed the crash assured him that he did not.
Authorities said that Jebbia, the man on the run, was responsible for hitting the man and killing the woman at the bus stop.
Eyewitness News learned Jebbia was wanted for aggravated assault in Montgomery County and refused to surrender to police when they attempted to arrest him during a traffic stop.
The man is thankful he escaped with scrapes and bruises but says he’s yet to get his car back, which has put him out of work.
He told ABC13 it has been difficult especially because he keeps imagining the crash and the woman lying in the street.
The man is also fearful knowing Jebbia is an alleged career criminal.
Authorities arrested Jebbia miles away from the crash.
“He was involved in some bad stuff and unfortunately, innocent people had to pay for it,” the man said.
Authorities charged Jebbia with murder, aggravated kidnapping, and felon in possession of a firearm and body armor which was found in his vehicle after the chase.
RELATED: Woman killed at N. Harris Co. bus stop as law enforcement chased ‘career criminal,’ authorities say
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