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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