San Carlos Man Describes His Night Of Terror During Paris Attacks

SAN CARLOS (KPIX 5) -- A San Carlos is coming home after surviving a terrifying night during the attacks in Paris. He was just a few steps away from death.

Via a shaky Skype connection, Kathleen Morearty and her daughters got some face time with husband Brian. He had traveled to Paris on a business trip.

Friday night, he was at dinner with colleagues a half block from La Cosa Nostra when he heard gunfire.

"I heard bang, bang, bang, bang, bang and suddenly it got very quiet in the restaurant," said Brian.

No one knew what was happening until a friend checked his smartphone and realized the shots were part of a terrorist attack.

That's when Brian texted Kathleen. She was teaching preschoolers back in the Bay Area.

"Thank God, the first thing that he wrote on there was, 'I am fine,'" she said.

Two hours later, things suddenly became terrifyingly real for Brian.

That's when a woman ran inside and yelled out in French, "everyone get under the tables!"

"And we did," he said. "We dove down and didn't really know why she had said that. We didn't know if she saw anyone in the street or what it was."

In fact, the attackers were spraying patrons with gunfire at restaurants throughout the quartier.

Brian and all 30 people stayed under the tables for several minutes before coming out. They didn't leave the restaurant until 2:30 a.m.

They had survived the night, but would soon learned so many others weren't as fortunate.

Brian will be flying back to the Bay Area on Sunday. His wife anxiously awaits.

"I can't tell you. To see his face," says Kathleen. "I have never been so excited to see him in my life."