She's too stupid to not be in jail: Car crashes into IHOP restaurant.

**kraig** · June-16-09, 11:57 AM

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Car crashes into IHoP restaurant

Santiago Esparza and David C. Coates / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Four young women attempting to skip out on their bill at the International House of Pancakes wound up losing control of their Mercury Cougar and hitting the building as they attempted to flee, the father of one of the women said.
None of the women were injured in the early-morning crash, which buckled a wall of the building and shattered at least one large window this morning.
The women got out of the car and ran away on foot but Ashanti Barber, the 19-year-old driver of the Cougar, came back with a buddy and owned up to the incident, her father John Barber said.
"I appreciated that she came back on her own," he said. "I told her she did something she shouldn't have done, had an accident, but came back on her own to face the situation. I told her thank you for coming back."
Police ticketed Ashanti Barber for careless driving and driving without a valid license. The other women with her were not arrested or ticketed.
Barber said his daughter had more than $200 in cash on her and did not need to flee without paying the bill. He said her buddies talked her into it, something she should not have allowed to happen.
A waitress chased the women, attempting to get their license plate number before the crash, people gathered at the scene said.
Barber was amazed that no one was hurt in the crash because one of the restaurant's walls "just caved in."
Although he is disappointed his daughter and her friends got into trouble, he is happy that no one was injured.
"Thank God for that," he said. "This will be a learning experience for her. It will be a learning experience for all of us."
Barber said the Cougar does not look to be in too bad a shape following the crash.
"It still looks driveable," he said.
Restaurant staff declined comment other than to say the business was not open this afternoon but is expected to reopen in time for the dinner crowd.
sesparza@detnews.com [[313) 222-2320

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DetroitDad · June-16-09, 02:32 PM

I remember a restaurant in the suburbs called the Golden Lantern, a car crashed through the atrium wall, it was just a few feet from hitting a baby in a car seat at one of the tables.

I'm glad everyone was all right, and I hope this young lady learned her lesson. Maybe this incident will have some silver lining and prompt people to utilize transit, bikes, or their own two feet more often.

**ghettopalmetto** · June-16-09, 02:39 PM

Are we sure the skipping out on the check, fleeing, and crashing into the building were not an indictment of the meal they had just consumed?

**Lonyo exit** · June-16-09, 02:41 PM

Quote: "I'm glad everyone was all right, and I hope this young lady learned her lesson. Maybe this incident will have some silver lining and prompt people to utilize transit, bikes, or their own two feet more often."

THAT is the lesson you think should be learned here? Fucking transportation issues? Instead of this dumb box shouldn't steal, particularly when she's got a couple hundred dollars in her pocket?

I hope your post is sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek, because it is abysmally stupid otherwise.

**rjk** · June-16-09, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by kraig

He said her buddies talked her into it, something she should not have allowed to happen.

That may work when you're 7 years old, but not when you're 19.

I love the fact that her father sees this as a learning experience. Most of us learned at a much younger age that you have to pay for things.

**Gannon** · June-16-09, 02:54 PM

I think DetroitDad has a point, we use WAY too much horsepower to flee our crimes in this auto-centric city.

DetroitDad · June-16-09, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

I think DetroitDad has a point, we use WAY too much horsepower to flee our crimes in this auto-centric city.

Exactly. No one would have expected her to get on a bus to flee in Michigan.

Car violence is a big problem in this day and age. I know what you are going to say, cars don't kill people, people kill people... I know, I know. But if people keep going after guns and cigarettes, then I am going to go after the real #1 killer in this country.

Back on topic, I did mean that I hoped she had learned her lesson about not paying your bills, driving recklessly, and driving without a license. The rest was just taking up the cause.

**barnesfoto** · June-16-09, 07:49 PM

If the owners had only kept the Little Harry's Building, the wall would still be intact.....

**irish_mafia** · June-16-09, 07:57 PM

Karma

Baker knocks down little Harry's walls....wait a minute, do we know if Barber is related to Harry?

**daddeeo** · June-16-09, 08:31 PM

Meanwhile all the employees are screwed out of a day's pay because of this selfish jerk.

**thecarl** · June-16-09, 09:16 PM

is she running for council?

MIRepublic · June-16-09, 09:42 PM

A Darwin Award candidate, for sure. But, as for her being too old for a dine-and-dash, this is exactly the age when kids do this crap. This could most definitely be a learning moment for her. Self-righteous, much? If this had happened anywhere else, the comments would be different.

**Gistok** · June-16-09, 11:30 PM

Had this happened to any other building, the comments would be different as well... but the fiasco of the 150 year old Chene House's destruction is reminiscent of the Madison-Lenox story.

I'm sure that there are some Chene family descendents who are feeling a little bit of Schadenfreude right now....

As for Walter Bridgeforth III, the husband of Anita Baker, and developer/leveler of this site... he promised an exciting development when the Chene House came down on that fateful Sunday morning during the Young administration....

I guess the IHOP finally got its' excitement....

**reddog289** · June-16-09, 11:54 PM

That story made the news up north from what I hear, Stupid people doing stupid things. Life goes on in the City.

**sumas** · June-17-09, 03:23 AM

When the Chene house [[Little Harrys) came down I didn't give a crap as to what replaced it. Have never been in the IHOP and never will. I am happy that no one was hurt however.

Taking a walk on a bill is more like thirteen year old behavior. Glad the Dad had the good sense to make his daughter own up!