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CENTERVILLE — Centerville police are looking for the driver of a truck who crashed into the front of a gas station store and then took off.
The truck smashed into the family-owned business RB's One Stop, 219 W. Parrish Lane, at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
A co-owner said had the incident happened an hour later, one of his employees could have been seriously injured.
A steady stream of cars lined up Wednesday for root beer, ice cream, and soda at the drive-through.
Now the convenience mart has more than one.
"When I came around the corner and saw the whole storefront was crashed in, then I was surprised — shocked," co-owner Brad Randall said. "First wondered if it was an accident or what had happened. Obviously, it was planned out."
He said the first thing the person or people inside the dark-colored Chevy truck did was spray shaving cream on his surveillance cameras.
"You kind of get angry and at first, we didn't know if they were after product or maybe if it was someone just trying to vandalize the place," Randall added.
Then, the truck rammed into his Centerville store.
"Fortunately there were not any employees in the building," he said.
He said the business has been there for decades. "We started back in 1961, my father started the business."
Police are still investigating what the driver took from the store if anything.
"There was glass and doors scattered all throughout the front. It would have been hard for them to get out and actually take stuff," he said.
His doors were boarded up Wednesday.
Randall said, "It's frustrating. There's enough challenges running a business without these kind of problems."
Now the search is underway to find the Chevy truck with damage on its front end, and the driver.
"We'd like to bring them to justice and hopefully get some reparations for the damage," Randall said.
If you know anything about the truck or driver call Centerville Police at 801-292-8441 or leave an anonymous tip here.
