ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Police said a group of joyriding teenagers crashed into a building early Sunday morning.
“It’s a mess, looks like a pile of wood and glass, looked like a bomb blew off in there,” said Bob Kolatac, owner of Antiques and Things.
Kolatac said the crash destroyed some of the antiques inside, including a piece of furniture from the 1800s.
According to a police report, police said before the crash, they noticed the SUV driving in the wrong lane to get into a McDonald’s parking lot early Sunday morning. As the officer tried to pull over the teens, they took off speeding, blew through a stop sign and crashed into the building on San Marco Avenue. After crashing, police say the teens took off running.
A few hours later, a business owner across the street said he found a gun and a loaded clip behind his business. Police said the gun was stolen, and they believe it could be connected to the teens. Investigators also found ammunition in one of the teens’ pockets.
Koltac estimates damages to the store at about $50,000. But he said the timing could have been worse.
“If we were open, it would’ve been deadly because people are walking around all day in here. My wife is in here all the time. Someone could’ve got really hurt or killed,” he said.
Police caught the teens. Officers arrested the driver, a girl. Police said she was too young to drive. Police said the suspect’s mother was explained the Juvenile Civil Citation program, but refused it, requesting the suspect be placed under arrest instead.