FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) – A man who stole a luxury SUV and crashed it into the drive-thru window of a fast food restaurant has been arrested, authorities said. Police said the man was trying to flee from officers when he lost control.
Fort Lauderdale Police received a report of a stolen Rolls Royce around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday from an attendant at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort.
7News spoke to the car’s owner on condition of anonymity.
“I was sleeping when I got a knock on the door and they said, ‘Your car has been taken by a valet,'” the owner said.
However, the joy didn’t last long as officers spotted the vehicle traveling westbound on West Broward Boulevard.
The driver of the stolen Rolls-Royce, identified as Malik Patterson, 21, attempted to flee in his vehicle when he spotted officers following him, but ended up at the Checkers at 2701 West Broward Blvd. collided with.
The SUV crashed through the fast food chain’s drive-thru window. Fortunately, no one inside was injured.
One employee told 7News off-camera that it was a close call, but he was glad he was able to jump out in time.
The car owner said that things like this happen by chance.
“I’d like to say I’m not shocked at all. It was a Rolls-Royce and people like to steal things and we had to have a little fun,” he said.
After the collision, Patterson got out of the car and fled on foot.
He was eventually caught and arrested by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s K9 team.
Patterson was taken to a nearby hospital for tests as a precaution.
“This fun ride here wasn’t very fun for this guy because he got trapped and his car broke down, so what are we going to do?” the SUV owner said. .
The totaled vehicles were pulled out of the drive-thru.
Checkers will be closed until further notice. Employees spent all day Wednesday cleaning up the mess.
Patterson is charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and resisting without violence. He also had two outstanding felony warrants from Broward County and Placer County, California.
At some point, Patterson will appear before a judge.
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