A father walking his daughter home from school only had a split second to react, but he managed to push his 11-year-old out of the way just as a hit-and-run driver slammed into him in Glassell Park.
The father and daughter were almost out of the crosswalk.
"I was a half a second away from being clear. But you know, I was a half a second too slow," Michael DeVore said.
The Los Angeles Police Department Friday released footage of the shocking hit, hoping to identify the driver in the Nov. 16, 2018 crash at San Fernando Road and Hallett Avenue.
DeVore said he suffered two broken legs.
"Yeah, I was angry. I was beating the ground with my fists. I was just angry," he said.
Fortunately, his daughter only suffered some cuts on her face, thanks to her dad's quick reflexes.
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"I could've stopped and just stopped in my tracks. And she would've just went in front of me. But my daughter was in line. She would've hit her smack, dab," he said.
DeVore said another driver tried chasing the woman down, taking a picture of the red Toyota Corolla down the street.
Unfortunately, the license plate appears blurry in the photo. The first icon appears to be a handicap sign.
"Deep in my heart I want to believe that the lady didn't even see me. She was in older lady. I could see. I saw all of this in that split second. Her head was barely over the dashboard. There's no way she could've possibly seen me. She couldn't have been that angry of an old lady to want to hit somebody and keep going," DeVore said.
Months later, DeVore is just starting to walk again.
The cross walk is clearly marked with yellow strips on the road, and flashing lights. But residents want a stop light put in.
As NBC4 was reporting on the story, many drivers were caught on camera still passing through the intersection as other pedestrians attempted to cross.
Police described the woman behind the wheel of the red Toyota Corolla as having gray hair, with a heavy build, and about 60-65 years old.
Anyone with information on the case can call detectives at (213) 486-0755; (877) LAPD-247; or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
