A pickup truck tore through the front of Pennington's True Value hardware store in Hammond early Sunday, plowing past display aisles and into the main checkout area before the driver backed out and sped away. Hammond police arrested 52-year-old Omer Gouner of Independence, Louisiana, following a short pursuit, booking him on charges that include driving while intoxicated, hit-and-run, reckless operation and simple criminal damage to property.
At roughly 1:55 a.m. Sunday morning, the vehicle crashed through the building's exterior at the store on East Thomas Street, damaging multiple aisles as well as the checkout counter. No employees or customers were inside the store at the time of the collision.
Scorch marks and burned tire tracks were visible across the concrete floor.
Driver Fled East Before Police Stopped Him
Once the truck came loose, the driver backed out of the store and fled eastbound on Thomas Street, prompting officers to launch a short pursuit. Police safely halted the vehicle and took the suspect into custody without further incident. Gouner was booked into custody following the brief chase, as reported by WBRZ-TV.
Gouner is from Independence, Louisiana. The Hammond Star first reported on the arrest, publishing a photo of the damaged store provided by the Hammond Police Department.
Store Open to the Public Sunday
Despite the structural damage, Pennington's True Value was open to the public on Sunday.
What Gouner Could Face Under Louisiana Law
Louisiana's hit-and-run statute, Revised Statute § 14:100, carries penalties of up to six months in jail and fines as high as $500 for incidents involving only property damage, according to the Louisiana State Legislature. State law requires drivers in certain crashes, including those causing more than $500 in property damage, to exchange information.
A first-offense DWI conviction under § 14:98.1 carries fines between $300 and $1,000, a license suspension of up to 12 months, and a jail term ranging from 10 days to six months, per the Louisiana Judicial College. The simple criminal damage to property charge is also among the charges Gouner faces. It remains unclear how much damage police have estimated at the hardware store, or when Gouner is scheduled for a preliminary court appearance.
A National Pattern of Storefront Crashes
The Hammond incident fits a pattern documented nationally. Research from the Storefront Safety Council, previously cited by Hoodline, found that vehicle-into-building collisions happen roughly 100 times a day across the United States, with about 15% involving intoxicated drivers and 41% attributed to operator error. Those crashes cause an estimated 16,000 injuries nationwide each year, though no injuries were reported in the Hammond crash.
