A shocking incident unfolded in Shelby Township, Mich., when a driver plowed his truck into several parked cars, scraping the side of Johnny Black's Taphouse, and nearly hit a pedestrian outside the gastropub. According to FOX 2, the event occurred just before midnight on Wednesday, with the driver, now identified as Ervin Smajlaj, allegedly causing chaos in the packed parking lot.
Despite the destruction, no patrons or bystanders were injured in the mayhem. Police suspect narcotics could have played a role in the driver's erratic behavior, but this has not been confirmed yet, ClickOnDetroit reports. After wreaking havoc by crashing into a series of vehicles, Smajlaj took off on foot — only to be tackled and apprehended by officers nearby.
Edward Firestine, operations manager at the gastropub, revealed to WXYZ that the individual was "shouting things" that alarmed exiting patrons. The suspect, who was not a customer of the bar, resulted in nine counts of malicious destruction of property and has been charged with one count of felonious assault with a deadly weapon — his truck.
Sergeant Kevin Bailey of the Shelby Township Police Department emphasized the gravity of the situation and the relief that no one was injured. "Cars can be replaced, People can’t. We’re happy that our officers were there, able to apprehend him quick enough before he was able to do any other damage, or injure anyone," Bailey told WXYZ. The restaurant managed to resume business as usual the following evening, with patrons expressing relief that the incident did not result in physical harm.
