Angry customer plows through dealership with the car he just bought, Utah cops say
An angry customer drove his newly purchased car through a dealership storefront after he was denied a return, Utah police told local media.
The man bought a car “as is” from a Mazda dealership the morning of Monday, Dec. 9, Sandy Police Department’s Sgt. Greg Moffitt told KUTV.
However, after leaving the lot, the man “determined there were mechanical issues,” Moffitt told the outlet.
He returned to the dealership and asked for a return, Moffitt said, KSLNewsRadio reported.
As the car was sold “as is,” the dealership refused a refund, Moffitt told the news outlet.
The man then threatened to crash the car through the dealership store front if they refused to return his money, police said, the outlet reported.
“A little after 4 p.m., he did exactly that,” Moffitt told KUTV.
The man’s “vehicle was completely inside the building,” police wrote in an affidavit obtained by KSL-TV. “The front doors were now inside the building.”
Video of the aftermath obtained by KSTU shows a crashed car sitting in the dealership’s lobby surrounded by broken glass scattered on the ground.
No one was hurt during the crash, police said, KTVX reported.
Aylin Hernandez, an employee of the dealership, told KSTU she was grateful she was not working Monday.
“What would’ve happened?” she told the outlet. “Who knows — it could’ve been fatal.”
The man caused an estimated $10,000 in damage, police said, KSL-TV reported.
The man told police the dealership “sold him a lemon, and they would not give him his money back,” an arrest report shows, the outlet reported.
The man was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including felony criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, according to police, KTVX reported.
Sandy is about a 20-mile drive south from Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Angry customer plows through dealership with the car he just bought, Utah cops say."
