OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — An Omaha man is recovering after being run over by a truck early Friday morning.
Erick Mills, who didn't want to share his story at first, now says he feels it's important his voice is heard.
"For all the naysayer's out there [saying] is this real or what did you guys do to bring this on? I just want to say, you don't believe it could happen to you until it happens to you,"Erick Mills said.
That's partly why Mills says he's sharing his story.
Mills says he's the victim of a hate crime after being run over in a McDonald's parking lot off 72nd and Blondo around 3 a.m. on Friday.
He posted a picture of his arm on social media, showing his injuries as a result of the incident.
"I probably felt the tire like nick my ear, Mills said. "I really felt the tire like go over and I'm just glad that my God was with me and he it didn't go over my head or my chest."
Mills tells 3 News Now he and his girlfriend were leaving a late night pizza spot when he stopped for a red light near 72nd and Jones.
"I noticed a White guy and he kind of looks me over," Mills said. "I kind of give him like the hey how you doing [and] he does like the old western cowboy-like spit on the ground thing. [It was] disrespectful, like F-you type."
Mills says the men in truck began following him and even cut him off when he switched lanes.
"This proceeds all the way from across Dodge until we get to Cass and at that point they just start throwing beer bottles at the car," he said.
Mills says when he and his girlfriend (who's White) approached 72nd and Blondo, thinking they'd lost the two men, they pulled into McDonald's to assess any damage to the car.
Seconds later, Mills says the same truck came speeding into the parking lot. He says the men began yelling at him.
"We were asking them why are y'all attacking us? Why are y'all chasing us? Why are y'all messing with us," Mills said. "And the guy's like you don't know who I am? Then he just speeds up--he didn't come at her or try to run us both over--he comes straight at me ... and plowed me over with no regard, you know just like a rag doll."
Mills says there were witnesses in the drive-thru, and he believes he was attacked because of his race.
He tells us, he was scared.
"Who isn't scared when random stuff like this could happen and for no reason?" It's not like you got to do anything to bring this on," Mills said. "There's people out there that hate people for no reason and you don't know who those people are, they could be shopping with you, they could be working with you."
He says, there's no room for racism in this country and he adds society must call it out when it happens.
"The cause ain't just for Black people it's for good people of all races who's sick and tired of this BS out here."
Mills tells us the truck that ran him over didn't have a license plate. Mills has filed a police report with the Omaha Police Department who are investigating the incident.
Surveillance video from McDonald's hasn't been released at this time.
