The lunch hour at a Beltsville, Md. restaurant came to a sudden close when a vehicle crashed through the front of the store and injured three patrons.
At about 12:30 p.m. on Friday, June 25, almost two dozen patrons and employees of the PHO 88 Restaurant - part of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center strip of shops - were horrified when a Honda Pilot SUV came crashing through the brick and glass store front. Three patrons, adult males in their 30’s, sustained minor injuries and were transported by paramedics to an area hospital. The two adult females in the Honda were not injured.
The PHO 88 restaurant, at 10478 Baltimore Ave., sustained significant damage. Firefighters shut off the utilities to the store and inspected the structural integrity for possible collapse. A building inspector officially declared the structure uninhabitable and closed the store until repairs could be made.
The Prince George’s County Police Department is conducting an investigation into how and why the vehicle suddenly accelerated into and through the front of the store.
