A suspected DUI driver crash-landed into a Japanese restaurant early Wednesday after driving the wrong way in Torrance.
Security camera video from inside the restaurant showed the car slamming into the dining area, which was strewn with debris.
Torrance police responded to the crash just after 1:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Artesia Boulevard. The driver travelled westbound on the eastbound lanes of Artesia Boulevard, where the car slammed other cars, sheared a fire hydrant and crashed into a light pole before the crash-landing.
The driver was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, according to officials.
The restaurant’s owner, who had bought the business four years ago, credits the decision to close the restaurant early the day prior as the reason no employees were hurt. The restaurant ususally closes around 10:30 p.m., but closed 30 minutes early.
A chef inside at the time said the car's headlights were heading straight toward the building before the jarring impact.
