MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies are trying to identify a man who jumped on a moving car.
Dawn Childers said she was driving home from work when the stranger jumped on the hood first. She was driving past Kmart in Ellenton. She said it was 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“When he jumped on my car, I panicked,” Childers said.
She said she tried to swerve because she noticed the man was in the middle of the road.
“Then he jumps on top of my car and starts saying ‘gangster’ and ‘the b word’ and ugh. You can hear me scream on the video,” Childers said.
The man lied down on the roof and then slid off the back of her car. Childers said her hood, roof, and trunk were damaged.
“I’m a single mom. I can’t afford that,” she said.
Childers said someone shared an Instagram post with her, which showed video from that night. She said she had no idea someone recorded it.
“For them to post it on Instagram, they wanted to get caught -apparently,” Childers said.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case. According to authorities, they have very strong leads on a possible suspect.
“All I wanted to do was go home that night. That was it,” Childers said.
If a suspect is caught, the sheriff’s office confirmed he could be charged with felony criminal mischief.
“Well I hope they grow up (and) they get in some kind of trouble and something (is) done about it,” Childers said.
ABC Action News learned the Palmetto Police Department is investigating a vandalism case and they believe the same suspect may be involved in that case.They are working with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
