A Bibb County sheriff’s deputy watched as a car hit a curb in front of a Circle K and plowed into its fuel pump just before 2 a.m. Monday, the Macon Telegraph reported.

Deputy Scott Rickert saw the flames erupt after the pump broke from its base and hit the corner of the building.

The clerk inside a protective glass compartment could not escape, so Rickert pulled the clerk over the counter and out of the cashier’s window, Macon-Bibb Fire Battalion Chief Todd Alligood told the newspaper.

Howard McKinney III of Stockbridge, the driver of the Toyota Camry that hit the pump, tried to run away, but a second deputy stopped him.

Deputies said he smelled of alcohol and failed a sobriety test before they arrested him. McKinney was charged with driving under the influence.

The Circle K may be closed for weeks.

Read more of the story here.

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Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller