Hotel security guard 'emotionally torn up' after patron struck him with vehicle

The bar room at the Marion Hotel had just closed and security guard John Donovan was patrolling the parking lot as patrons left when he heard squealing tires and saw a vehicle racing toward him.

The 36-year-old father of seven jumped to get out of the way but was struck in the lower body, causing him to land on the vehicle's hood and windshield before falling to the ground.

"If I hadn't jumped up to avoid taking the full blow of the bumper, I could have been in worse shape, I could have been dead, my kids could have been fatherless," Donovan said in an interview with CBC News.

Although he walked away with mostly minor injuries a swollen hip and leg, as well as some scratches and bruises Donovan says he's having trouble getting over the incident.

"I struggle with rethinking about that night and just getting pretty emotionally torn up about it," he said.

The incident happened just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. Just after 2 a.m., Donovan was called down to the beer vendor where two men had gotten into a fight. After breaking up the fight, Donovan says, one of the men gotin a taxi, the other refused to leave and continued arguing with security guards, including Donovan,in the parking lot.

Eventually the man drove off, but a few minutes later, Donovan says, he noticed the man's female companion asking others to buy her alcohol because she wasn't allowed in the vendor.

Donovan says he told the woman to leave and that police had been called.

"She hopped in the vehicle and he pulled around and then he pinned it, like he accelerated, and that's when he rushed me and hit me," Donovan said.

The vehicle then sped away.

Donovan got up and tried to run after the vehicle, but people around him started yelling at him to get down on the ground in case he had serious injuries, he says.

Donovan was sent to hospital in stable condition.

A suspect, 25, was arrested the following day and charged with assault with a weapon, careless driving, driving while disqualified and failing to stay at the scene.

Donovan expects to return to work on Wednesday. He says he'll be a little more cautious when he's in the parking lot.

"I'll keep my head on a swivel."

More news from CBC Manitoba: