Man Admits To Drinking '2, 3 Beers' Before Truck Plows Through Store At Fort Lauderdale Gas Station
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Shutters had replaced glass windows at a Fort Lauderdale gas station after a truck plowed through the store on Tuesday.
"I wasn't sure, like, was it inside the building or outside, it was just a big boom. Came with a good force, you know," said Syed Ali, the manager of the gas station. "It was kind of scary."
Surveillance video captured the destruction, seemingly in slow motion, as a black pickup careened towards the store.
It jumped the curb and came crashing through the storefront.
A man is seen on surveillance video standing right in front of the truck as it entered the store. Fortunately for him, the impact is minimal.
Police say Joseph Wayne Ligas, 67 was behind the wheel.
CBS 4 cameras were there Tuesday as Ligas is seen outside the store stumbling through a field sobriety test.
According to the police report, officers say when they arrived Ligas was already out of the truck and showed "signs of impairment," including "red bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitted from his breath."
Under questioning, police say he admitted to drinking 2 to 3 beers at home.
Ligas' truck bulldozed through the store, damaging shelves, and products.
Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt.
Store clerks and witnesses told both CBS4 News and police that Ligas is a frequent customer.
