Driver in custody after crashing into Philly T-Mobile store
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A driver is in police custody after crashing into a T-Mobile store in Philadelphia's Ogontz neighborhood. The crash happened right next to a police station.
The Philadelphia Police Department said it happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday night at the T-Mobile on North Broad and Champlost Streets, right across the street from the 35th District police station.
People at the scene told CBS Philadelphia that once the driver crashed, he tried to run away but police caught up with him.
Authorities confirmed he was arrested and a gun was recovered.
Surveillance video shows the car driving along the sidewalk and slamming into the store.
Aya Gbabo is the shift manager at the Popeyes restaurant next door.
"I was getting ready to go home," Gbabo said. "My shift was over. Then I heard a loud sound from the other side. It felt like an earthquake. It was really loud."
The crash damaged the front of the store along with shelves and items inside. No one was inside the store at the time of the crash.
The car was lodged inside the store before it was removed a short time later.
Gbabo said the crash also damaged the wall at Popeyes.
"I saw a guy, the person who did it, run over that direction," Gbabo said. "I was so confused. I didn't know where he was going."
Cleanup began after the car was towed.
In a statement, T-Mobile said, "This incident occurred after hours and fortunately, no employees or customers were impacted. The store will remain temporarily closed."
Phina Exis, who came to get her phone fixed, was surprised to find the store boarded up.
"I don't know when it's going to open," Exis said, "and I don't know like, if I go there, like I might get run over by these people."
Despite the damage, Gbabo says the crash could have been worse.
"It is scary because I'm like, 'What if it was this door?' Because it's really close," Gbabo said.
Police haven't identified the driver or what charges he's facing.
