Alcohol is suspected in the case of a 25-year-old man who allegedly turned a U-Haul into a U-Crash, running the rental truck into a commercial building again and again on Atlanta's northwest side, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Andrew Wiggins was charged with theft by taking, hit and run and giving a false name, police said. He was booked into Fulton County Jail and was being held Tuesday afternoon on $1,500 bond.
Police were dispatched shortly before 3 a.m. to 1431 Hollywood Road after receiving a report of a U-Haul truck running into businesses there.
A business owner told officers that he was inside when he heard a crash. He ran outside and saw that a truck had struck and destroyed a wooden structure attached to the main part of the building.
“The owner then observed the U-Haul strike the building head on and back into the building after that,” said Atlanta police spokesman Officer John Chafee. “The U-Haul then sped away from the location.”
Police caught up with the truck a short time later at an apartment complex on Center Street. There, officers saw two men arguing next to the U-Haul. Upon spotting police, one of the men, Wiggins, allegedly ran but was caught a short distance away.
The other man told officers he had rented the truck, and the suspect had taken it from him without permission as he slept, police said.
No injuries were reported in the incident. The truck and the building sustained “significant” damage, police said.
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