'The car came straight through:' Listen to 911 call moments after car rams through restaurant

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. — Channel 9 obtained the 911 call made moments after a man plowed his car into the Surf & Turf Lodge in Bessemer City last weekend.

“The car came straight through the dining room full of people,” the caller said. “Oh, and I think I have people trapped. I'm not really sure.”

The owner invited people to write messages to victims and their families on the wall that covers a hole where the SUV plowed through

On Sunday, Roger Self drove his SUV into the restaurant, killing his daughter, Gaston County Sheriff's Cpl. Katelyn Self, and his daughter-in-law, emergency room nurse Amanda Self, police said.

Almost two minutes into the call, the owner said she realized the driver was Roger Self, a regular customer and a friend.

She noted Roger Self's mental illness.

“The man who drove the car into the building has been in a mental breakdown,” the caller said. “I know him personally and I think he did it on purpose, and it was his family that he drove the car into.”

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Minutes before the crash, the owner said she greeted him as he entered the restaurant and tried to keep him encouraged in his fight with mental illness.

“He has been in a severe depression and hasn't been leaving the house, and I seen him come in the door and I hugged his neck,” the caller said.

The Surf & Turf Lodge is expected to reopen Friday afternoon.

The owner said this has been an emotional week for her. She's a close friend of the Self family.

She talked to Roger Self’s son, Josh Self, a Gaston County police officer, about his father.

Not long after that, Roger Self got in his SUV and drove into the restaurant, hitting a table full of relatives. police said.

Josh Self is still recovering from injuries. Roger Self’s wife, Diane, was also hospitalized and is in recovery.

Venture Church, the family's church in Dallas, will hold a question-and answer session Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to help family, friends and the community understand the heartbreaking tragedy.

Cox Media Group