ATLANTA — One Atlanta man is speaking out after a viral video with nearly four million views on Twitter shows his car getting repeatedly stomped on, cracking his windshield, denting his roof and even stalling his car.
It all happened during the crowd chaos on John Wesley Dobbs Avenue near Georgia State's campus on April 2 when street racing, doing donuts and property was damaged outside of an off-campus student housing complex. One person was also shot at a RaceTrac gas station the following night.
His friends started an online fundraiser on his behalf to help him raise money for therapy and to get it fixed.
Timothy Rogers-Dillard spoke exclusively with 11Alive and said the crowd stomped on his cars -- smashing his windows and damaging his mirror, transmission, windshield, and engine. And now, he said he's having a tough time mentally recovering.
"I seen this young man plunge through my window with his heel," Dillard recalled. "The gentleman had jumped on the engine. And it started to cause the car to stall."
The videos spread all over social media. You can see several people jumping on Rogers-Dillard's blue, 2004 Toyota -- leaving him with no way out and his mom with the damage.
"I couldn't open my door to get out because there was so many people pushing my door closed," Rogers-Dillard said.
And that's why he said he couldn't leave the vehicle. Rogers-Dillard said he had no idea there was going to be such a large crowd on John Wesley Dobbs. He was just hanging with friends.
Originally, Rogers-Dillard says he was OK with the crowd sitting on the hood or trunk.
"Do whatever, we can have fun in a safe way," Rogers-Dillard said.
However, he said around five people got out of hand. At one point, he explained the gear was knocked into neutral. And when he looked back, his passengers were gone. He didn't see his friends until they later met in a parking lot.
"I remember being so emotionally strained, I didn't even have the energy in my body to be upset, but I was still upset," Rogers-Dillard said. "I remember, like, crying and screaming at the top of my lungs when we got to the parking lot."
Outside of the damage to his car, Rodgers-Dillard said the entire experience has taken a toll on his mental health.
"I've been doing audio therapy to train me to be more comfortable around sounds," Rogers-Dillard said. "I do start emotional therapy on Wednesday."
So, his friends stepped in to help. Chanel Tye had the idea to start an online fundraiser to help him pay for the car damage and therapy.
"You know how much of a traumatizing situation that is for you to just go through and then not be able to afford the proper care that you need? And we might be able to get a lawyer," Tye said.
Tye says she's watched what her friend has been going through. And she doesn't want him to go through it alone.
"He did not want to get up. He didn't want to get out of his room," Tye said. "He didn't even really want to drive."
With the extra support, Timothy now waits for justice.
"An investigation of who did it should be executed, especially seeing as though there are several angles of each and every person," Rogers-Dillard said.
