He was driving drunk on a Florida street, cops say. A dental office was straight ahead
The children’s dental office didn’t stand a chance.
A drunk driver crashed into the Ocala, Florida, building over the weekend, according to police.
A Facebook post from the Ocala Police Department said officers were dispatched to Healthy Smiles Dentistry at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday regarding an accident. Officers were near the crash site, which occurred on the busy main intersection of 10th Street, Fox 35 Orlando reported.
At the scene, officers could see that a Chevrolet Equinox caused “extensive damage” to the building. The white SUV was totaled and sitting in the middle of the dark street. Surveillance video shows the moment the vehicle careened into the structure.
The driver, identified as Gabriel Hausy, 22, was no longer in the vehicle. A witness described the suspect’s appearance, and officers could see the suspect from a distance. When Hausy realized he was spotted, he took off running, according to the post.
During the “brief foot pursuit,” another officer in a vehicle spotted Hausy; ultimately, he was detained.
READ MORE: See what happened after a truck drove through a liquor store in Florida
A police investigation revealed the Hausy was the registered owner of the Equinox, and that he had purchased alcoholic drinks at a bar about an hour and a half before the crash.
Hausy agreed to submit to a breath test, and the results were .14 percent, well over the Florida legal limit of .08 percent.
READ MORE: A county worker left his truck running in Florida and she jumped in, cops say
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of DUI with property damage, resisting an officer without violence and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.
“Stop!” screams an officer in bodycam footage, which shows a snippet of the take-down.
“Put your hands behind your back!” the officer screams. “Put your hands behind your back!”
“Please!” cries the suspect, whose face down on the ground, while being cuffed.
No injuries were reported, but the damage to the pediatric dentist’s building was “catastrophic,” the department noted.
A few hours after the crash, Healthy Smiles sent a message to patients on social media informing them of the situation and showing a picture one-story office, looking wrecked, with police tape all around:
“We are saddened to say that our office was heavily damaged by a vehicle last night,” said the post. “Our family is distraught after opening our new building less than a year ago, but are confident that we will get through this setback.”
No one answered the phone at the office on Wednesday.
“Driving while under the influence is a truly reckless decision and there are severe consequences for such negligent behavior,” saiid Ocala PD. “Unfortunately, one man disregarded this fact and caused catastrophic property damage to a building in the area. It should stand as a reminder that this type of dangerous driving can have devastating outcomes.”
