Video shows driver plowing into businesses in San Francisco's Castro District
The community is in shock after a driver plowed his car into some businesses in the Castro District early Sunday morning.
"Driving that fast on Castro Street, it's insane," Narmela Khordians, the manager of Cafe Mystique, told CBS News Bay Area.
Surveillance video shows the driver crashing into Cafe Mystique and part of Castro Indian Restaurant & Bar, along the 500 block of Castro Street. The video also shows the driver walking away from the scene shortly after crashing into the businesses.
"He opens the door and just starts walking away. So basically, it's a hit and run," Khordians said.
"The car came through there, and tore apart this parklet in half. And hit this pole here. And from here went to that wall to my neighbors," Ajay Khadka, the owner of Castro Indian Restaurant & Bar, told CBS News Bay Area.
He said the car damaged everything in the outdoor parklet before ramming into Cafe Mystique.
"It would maybe cost me $20,000 plus, because most of the tables and chairs are broken. And also my heaters and all the ornaments," he said.
The San Francisco Police and Fire Department is continuing its investigation.
"This is a busy time; usually, nightlife is closing down. That's when this happened, and the car, from the looks of it, came at a high rate of speed based on the surveillance footage," Lt. Mariano Elias, Jr. of the San Francisco Fire Department, said.
"No one was injured, fortunately, but having been few minutes prior to, there were people around walking on this busy street, on Castro Street.
Fire officials said that they received calls that the driver may have been under the influence. When crews responded to the scene, they said they were not able to locate the driver at the time.
"Our members did evaluate the building, requested the department building inspection for further investigation on the structural integrity of it. The building has been tagged. It is safe, but it has some structural damage to the windows and will have to be repaired," he said.
Meanwhile, for Khordians, she is picking up the pieces and trying to move forward.
"We lost business, we had so many people come in to have breakfast. But unfortunately, we had to say that we're closed," she said. "The speeding on the streets, it maybe should be controlled more. I don't think cameras are doing much. You might need more police on the streets to control the situations.
CBS News Bay Area reached out to the San Francisco Police Department for an update on the driver of the car, and a spokesperson said there are no updates at this time.
