'The Hornet' Hit Again By Driver, Suspect in Custody
DENVER (CBS4) - Employees at The Hornet on South Broadway and 1st Avenue boarded up part of their building, yet again, on Saturday because someone crashed into the restaurant. Witnesses told CBS4's Melissa Garcia they saw the driver and passengers get out of the car and run from the scene.
Police said that officers took one suspect into custody and were investigating possible charges. The speeding silver BMW came to a stop inches away from employees who were finishing their shifts inside the restaurant early Saturday morning.
"Where I was standing, six seconds later, the car was in that place," said Kevin Clyde, a bartender and server.
The car plowed into the building from between a planter and a light post around 2:15 a.m.
"I don't know how they made it through it alive," said Sean Workman, owner of The Hornet Restaurant.
The impact broke glass, scattered debris, and sent a cast iron beam flying through a wall across the room.
"A concrete beam shot like a rocket," Clyde said, of the beam that flew inches away from him.
"It sounds like an explosion when someone comes through and you don't know what's happening," said Sean Workman, The Hornet owner.
He said the crash hit especially hard this season, during the holidays.
"(We have) lots of holiday parties this time of year. And this time of year, our staff depends on being able to make some money," Workman said.
Workman said that he was working with South Broadway's maintenance division to request the installation of more barriers in front of the business.
The restaurant has already been hit twice before this year; once in February and once in November.
Staff members spent hours Saturday helping to fix the mess in order to re-open the business. They cordoned off the damaged area and were able to re-open The Hornet at 4 p.m.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
