A car crashed into a North Carolina restaurant Thursday evening, police said.

Authorities said multiple people suffered minor injuries at Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill in Mooresville.

An employee said a man who was allegedly drunk became angry after he wasn't allowed in the restaurant, so he drove his SUV through the bar.

The driver, whose name has not be released, was arrested.

The employee said the customer was drunk before arriving at the bar, which is why he wasn't allowed in. The bar was full of people for $1 beer night.

“It sounded like a hand grenade went out, just a big loud boom and shattering,” employee Tyler Knight said. “I was standing in the room back, in the kitchen.”

Witnesses said an employee held the driver down until police arrived, while also protecting him from angry restaurant patrons.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Power's Plant Bowen in Cartersville is shown. The utility wants to add about 10,000 megawatts of power supplies in just five years, mainly to serve data centers. (Hyosyb Shin/AJC 2015)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Featured

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC