Man arrested after shooting, vehicle crash incident in downtown Opelika
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- Man arrested after shooting at woman's vehicle during downtown Opelika incident early Thursday morning.
- Woman narrowly escaped being struck twice by suspect vehicle; suspect found with rifle and multiple firearms.
An Opelika woman is lucky to be alive after a terrifying moment this morning.
Image: Opelika Police Department
The incident began around 3:47 a.m. on Thursday. Jan. 29, when a female was driving down Avenue B when an another vehicle struck her from behind.
As the female exited the vehicle, the male driver of the other vehicle accelerated toward her, causing her to jump to avoid being struck and landing on top of the male’s vehicle.
“The victim stated she then attempted to flee the scene, but the male suspect followed her in his vehicle and attempted to strike her again,” police said. “She was able to escape and contact 9-1-1.”
Image: Opelika Police Department
As the incident was occurring, Opelika police responded to the area and located the male suspect and his Nissan 350Z driving erratically on the roadway and initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. The male suspect was identified as 32-year-old Jonathan Collins Donnan.
“Once stopped, Donnan was observed inside the vehicle waving a rifle and yelling incoherently,” police said. “Officers approached the vehicle and detained Donnan who appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance.”
Multiple firearms were also located in Donnan’s possession and officers observed several bullet holes in the victim’s vehicle, which were determined to have occurred after the victim had fled the scene.
Donnan was transported to East Alabama Medical Center, where he remains in the custody of the Opelika Police Department pending multiple criminal charges.
The victim was treated at the scene. The victim’s sister told CNAW2News.com, “she was on the way to work when a regular car accident turned into a nightmare.”
“She has just a few scrapes but by the grace of God, she is ok and she’s alive,” the victim’s sister said.
This case remains under investigation. If you have If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Opelika Police Department Detective Division at (334) 705-5220. Tips can be submitted through our Opelika Police Mobile App.
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