DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — Dramatic scenes were seen over the weekend in Durham when a driver crashed his car into a popular restaurant.
“I went outside and I heard a loud bang,” Mezcalito Durham manager Antonio Rivas said.
CCTV footage shows the chaotic moments after the driver of a Kia Optima crashed into a kitchen in Mescalito Durham on Sunday night.
“We heard an explosion and started running to where it came from and noticed smoke everywhere,” Rivas said. “We noticed a car parked inside our building.”
Crews were working Monday to repair walls destroyed in the crash, and a manager told CBS 17 that kitchen equipment was also damaged, but thankfully no one was injured.
“It's shocking,” Rivas said. “It doesn't happen every day here, especially when you're coming to work and a car drives past your restaurant.”
Several employees returned to work a few hours later to begin cleaning up. The exact amount of damage has not yet been released.
“I've talked to police officers and firefighters,” said Fernando Cortez, floor manager at Mescalito's Durham location, “and as soon as they come here they say, 'Oh no, not Mescalito,' so I know they love it here. I know the Durham community loves it here. We love them.”
The restaurant will be closed until further notice, but the wall is expected to be repaired later on Monday.
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Durham County News
Still, the health department needs to give the go-ahead for restaurants to reopen.
“We feel the love from Durham,” Rivas said. “We're sad we can't open today, but we hope to be open as soon as possible.”
The driver was taken to a nearby hospital and charged with reckless driving.
