'It Was All In Slow Motion': Witness Recounts Driver Crashing Stolen Car Into Aurora Donut Shop
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A father and his 4-year-old son were treated for minor injuries after a car crashed into a donut shop in Aurora Saturday morning. Aurora Police said the car was stolen and two suspects fled the scene.
It all happened around 9:30 a.m. at City Donut near 6th Avenue and Peoria Street. Before the crash, the suspects struck a car in a nearby intersection, a spokesperson for Aurora Police said.
"I heard the pop in the intersection, I turned, it was all in slow motion," said Kirk Manzanares, a consultant for City Donuts who also witnessed the incident.
Security footage from inside the shop showed the car crash through the storefront. In clips from two different cameras, a man is seen grabbing a child and diving out of the way.
"The dad grabbed the son and jumped right where you're standing," Manzanares said. "My first initial (thought)... was 'where is the kid, where is the kid?'"
A spokesperson for Aurora Police said the father and his 4-year-old child were taken to the hospital for minor injuries. The car that came careening through was reported stolen, and as of Monday, APD had not identified either of the suspects.
Manzanares said traffic bollards outside the shop slowed down the car and likely kept the incident from being worse.
"He could have taken out the whole front of the store," Manzanares said. "If it would have been any faster it would have been disastrous."
According to Manzanares, employees threw out all of the donuts in the store following the crash. After that, regular customers and people from neighboring businesses helped with cleanup, allowing the shop to reopen Sunday.
On Monday, the front of the storefront was still boarded up and some damage to bricks was visible. The owner said he did not have an estimate for how much repairs will cost.
"With COVID and supplies and employees and labor it's probably going to be a significant cost, and we just really hope the insurance company shines through," he said.
Manzanares said this incident is the latest example of a growing crime problem that must be addressed. He is currently working with other businesses and community members to form the Aurora Safe Coalition, which he said will aim to work with leaders to come up with solutions.
"We need to start a conversation about the real, deep-seeded issues that are in Aurora, and where do we do from here?" he said.
The coalition's first meeting will be on March 12.
