Car buyer irate over "lemon" smashes dealership

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Police say a man angry that a New Hampshire car dealer wouldn't take back the van he bought returned to the dealership and deliberately crashed into six other vehicles.

David Cross of Salisbury, Mass. is facing six counts of criminal mischief. He's been released on personal recognizance.

Police say Cross bought the van from the Portsmouth Used Car Superstore on Monday. After a mechanic found it had a host of problems, he tried to return it on Tuesday, but was spurned by the dealer. The 42-year-old allegedly drove back to the dealership just before midnight Tuesday and rammed the van into the other vehicles, causing about $20,000 in damages.

Cross tells The Portsmouth Herald the van was a "lemon" and he was driven by anger.

"I hit the first $25,000 car I could see," Cross told the Herald. "I didn't hit a car under $20,000. Then I moved a van that they wouldn't come down on the price for. I moved it with the lemon they sold me. I just held it to the floor until I couldn't move it anymore. I took out seven vehicles, including my own."

Cross, who called the van "a piece of crap" with a broken odometer, told the newspaper that he is prepared to face whatever penalty he gets.

"I'm stuck with it now," he said. "But I got my point across."