Truck hits pedestrians, crashes into Curious Book Shop and flees the scene

A pedestrian was struck by a car in front of the Curious Book Shop on Grand River Avenue Thursday afternoon.

Amanda Bond, a sophomore psychology major, said she was with a friend getting food at Raising Canes when they saw a black GMC truck hit a car on Grand River Avenue. Then, Bond said, the pickup truck left the road and drove across the sidewalk, knocking a bench off the sidewalk before coming to a stop inches from the store's main entrance.

In an emailed statement from the ELPD, Lt. Adrian Ojerio said officers were called to a three-car crash. A vehicle in the 300 block of E. Grand River Ave. struck a pedestrian near a bank, causing minor injuries.

Ojerio said: “The suspected perpetrator fled the scene on foot, but several community members called 911, which helped police arrest the individual.”

The accident remains under investigation.

Eyewitness Hannah Kozak said she saw the truck hit a pedestrian as she passed in front of the store. The pedestrian's left foot appeared to be bleeding. She was then loaded into an ambulance.

Amanda Bond and Emma Fabiano, recent graduates of Michigan State University, were walking down Grand River Avenue to get lunch at Raising Cane's on Thursday afternoon when they saw a driver get out of their truck while it was still moving. They wondered if the brakes were working until the driver got back in the car and brought it to a stop. After that, the truck struck a black Jeep before turning the steering wheel to the right and accelerating.

As the driver accelerated, he struck a pedestrian standing behind a bench and drove over both the bench and the person, leaving the pedestrian trapped underneath.

Both Bond and Fabiano rushed to the pedestrian who was screaming for help.

Bond recalls that the driver got out of the car to ask if the pedestrian was OK, took a drag on her e-cigarette, and then went into the bookstore. After briefly stepping outside again, the driver went back into the bookstore, where she exited through the back door and fled the scene.

“She seemed out of it,” Bond said. “She just didn't seem to really understand the implications of what had just happened. I was afraid she was a dangerous person. I didn't really know what to make of it.”

After the suspect fled the scene, crowds of students and people gathered around the crime scene and took photos and videos.

“I don't know if they understood the gravity of the situation because we had just pulled a girl out from under the truck,” Fabiano said. “They were taking videos, like people do when something like this happens, but it was kind of uncomfortable to watch people do it.”

Bookstore employee Casey Holland said she heard the sound of a car being rear-ended outside, followed by screams.

Holland said the driver then got out of her car, went into the store and asked for 911 to be called. After the call didn't go through, she went back outside, then came back into the store and then “ran out our back door.”

The Curious Book Shop, located at 307 E. Grand River Ave., has been a part of the East Lansing community for over 50 years. The store spans three floors and is filled with books.