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Comic Book Store Owner Shocked By Death At His Building

DENVER (CBS4) - Early Sunday morning, a car crashed into the Mile High Comics Store on Jason Street near I-25 and I-70.

The driver slammed into the garage door of the store's loading lock, knocking over two steel poles and sending debris well inside.

It is believed the car was speeding on 46th Avenue before crashing into Chuck Rozanki's Mile High Comics building.

"She hit smack on right here and knocked out these two poles…that were here. And they're each four inch steel poles that were welded in, just like that one," he said while showing the damage.

comic book store, crash damage
Chuck Rozanski shows where steel poles should be outside his store (credit: CBS)

At 2 in the morning, Denver police explained what happened to his employees, "They said it was a 17-year-old, she was going at a really high rate of speed … they're guessing it was upwards of 80 miles an hour," said Rozanski.

And behind the damaged doors, he showed, "This is part of the actual door itself, this is no longer on there … it got snapped off."

Pieces of the car littered his loading dock, including a headlight that landed 30 feet in.

comic book store crash headlight
A car's headlight found inside the building after crashing into store (credit: CBS)

"Her car just, the front of her car just disintegrated... I mean if this was my daughter, I would be just devastated, I mean just beyond words," said Rozanski.

A father of four, Rozanski said this will impact him, "When someone suffers a violent death like this within your space, I mean this is my building, I love this building and I love being here every day and now to know someone died here it's going to alter my perception forever."

Chuck was so moved by this girl's death that he brought flowers for her, and remains surprised he's the only one. Authorities have not yet released the victim's name.

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