VIDEO: DC woman, dog narrowly avoid being hit by driver in stolen car

Driver hops curb in stolen car, nearly hitting woman, dog on sidewalk

A woman and her dog narrowly avoided being hit by a suspect speeding down a Northeast D.C. sidewalk in a stolen car, police say.

WASHINGTON - A woman and her dog narrowly avoided being hit by a suspect plowing down a Northeast D.C. sidewalk in a stolen car, police say.

The near-miss happened in the 100 block of U Street, Northeast, and was caught on camera.

Evelina Voronina told FOX 5 she was out doing yard work on Saturday, Feb. 10 and had just let her 3-year-old dog Luna out when they heard a noise coming around the corner.

According to a police report, someone reported their blue Hyundai Tucson had been stolen from S St. Northeast around 10 a.m. that day. Then, just before 4 p.m., officers were canvassing the Eckington neighborhood when they spotted the car. Police tried to pull the car over but the driver fled.

In the video, you see Voronina turn around, grab her dog and run up the front steps just in time as the suspected stolen vehicle speeds down her sidewalk and a police cruiser chases.

"Thank you for not hitting me, definitely. But also, yeah, it sucks that you had to be in that position to steal a car. Was it for like financial needs? Or I don’t know what else but it just sucks and hopefully in future that’s not going to happen, and they are not going to be in that position to do that," Voronina said.

Voronina says the experience was scary but says she’s thankful she and her dog are ok, and she’s not holding on to any anger.

"Being angry or mad is not going to really do anything for the person. I’m sure they feel sh***y about what happened too," she said.

A police report says the stolen Hyundai was recovered after a lengthy pursuit. At least one suspect was arrested but two others are believed to have gotten away.