Security cameras captured the moment when a failed towing attempt ended with the store’s display window being hit several times before the culprits fled the scene.
The incident took place in University Place, Washington, on the morning of July 30, when officers from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office were called to a Chinese restaurant after reports that a car had destroyed the store’s facade.
An investigation involving reviewing the footage from the mall’s security cameras showed that the sedan driver had parked near the AutoZone around 5:45 PM the previous day.
The police found that the driver told the store staff that he would return to tow the vehicle. At around 3:45 AM, video footage showed a white Honda Pilot reversing toward the broken-down vehicle and attempting to tow it.
An hour and a half later, the vehicle was finally removed from the parking lot using a tow strap, which snapped when the vehicle was being towed across the lot.
However, in another attempt by the driver to secure the vehicle, the strap broke again. After the strap snapped for the second time, the car started heading toward the building, and the driver was seen trying to stop the vehicle before it hit the restaurant.
The driver was undeterred and tried again, nearly reaching the parking lot exit before the strap broke a third time, sending the sedan back toward the restaurant.
On this third attempt, the driver and a passenger released the car, drove it toward the exit, then crashed into a retaining wall and the curb.
The two eventually gave up and fled the scene, leaving the broken-down vehicle behind. No one has been arrested so far, but since the restaurant suffered significant damage, the incident is being investigated as a “hit and run,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Photo and video: Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
