Surveillance video captured a hit-and-run driver crashing through the wall of a cafe in Highland Park, badly wrecking part of the restaurant on Sunday.
An apparent pickup truck slammed through a security door and into the cafe, located at 5010 York Blvd. (map), just before 2 a.m., security footage showed.
No one was believed to have been injured in the crash, but owners of the cafe said it would likely take more than a week to repair the damage.
“It’s pretty sad,” co-owner Alfonso Arellano said. “You put all your hard work into this business and you try to do everything right, and someone can take it from you that easily.”
The restaurant, which was closed at the time, stands between two bars.
Patrons and people selling hot dogs and tacos on the sidewalk are typically seen outside the restaurant at the time the incident occurred, co-owner Arnie Miller said.
“We’re very lucky no one got hit because there’s usually a lot of people out here,” he said.
Witnesses told KTLA the driver was making circles, possibly doing the “doughnut maneuver,” before the crash.
The truck then slammed through a large security door that covered the entire front-end of the business, and into the cafe, security footage showed.
A parking meter was knocked to the ground, and a slew of debris that included piles of broken glass and wood was left.
The driver maneuvered the truck back and forth several times in an attempt to flee, and that person, along with a passenger, were being sought Sunday for the hit-and-run.