Philadelphia police arrested a driver accused of intentionally crashing a U-Haul truck into an outdoor dining area, injuring two people.
The ordeal began at 6:44 p.m. at the International Bar on Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Front Street. Police said the 43-year-old driver of a U-Haul truck circled the block before reaching out of his vehicle and snatching a purse from a table outside the business. The driver then crashed into an outdoor dining area, according to police.
"They were having dinner relaxing and then it happened," Paul Kimport, a cook at the International Bar, told NBC10.
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Kimport heard a loud bang and rushed outside.
"The vehicle came to steal a purse and lost control and drove into the last table of the street and then backed out and sped off," Kimport said.
The driver crashed into a 26-year-old man on a motorcycle and a 62-year-old man who was eating outside, according to investigators. Police said neither victim was seriously hurt.
"I couldn't believe it was so close but thank goodness no one was seriously hurt," Kimport said.
A police helicopter tracked the U-Haul as it drove off. The truck struck parked cars and backed up and hit a highway patrol vehicle as the driver tried to escape, investigators said. The driver also tried to run over responding officers, according to police.
At least one of the officers used a taser on the suspect before police captured him on 200 West Birch Street, investigators said. A passenger inside the U-Haul was arrested as well.
The owner of the International Bar said he had some cleaning up to do but plans to reopen on Friday.
