BOSTON — A Charlotte man spoke to Eyewitness News about his account of the Boston Marathon explosions.
"I heard the explosion and then the ground shook,” said 29-year-old Billy Shue, who has been training for the Boston Marathon for the past four years.
Shue, a Charlotte native, was a block away from the finish line -- a mere 200 yards away -- when the bombs went off.
"I was rounding the corner when the blast went off, it almost knocked me off my feet,” he said.
Shue, along with 100 others from the Charlotte Running Club, made the trip to run the marathon. He described the blast area as eerily similar to the terrorist attacks he saw on TV at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"It's absolute chaos,” Shue said. “People are running around the street, crying, in tears. I haven't seen something like this since 9/11."
Shue watched in disbelief as medics, firefighters and police filled the street to try and rescue the dozens injured.
"People immediately knew something was wrong,” he said. "I saw two people with blood all over their face."
He said he's fortunate he had no injuries, and that his thoughts and prayers are with those injured and the city of Boston.
HOTLINE: If you have not been able to get in touch with a loved one who ran in the race, you are urged to call 617-635-4500.