An alleged drunk driver crashed his car through the front of a northeast Atlanta pharmacy early Friday, then walked away from the wreckage to a nearby bar, where he continued drinking, police said.
According to an Atlanta police incident report, Rashad Williams, 38, of Lithonia, told arresting officers that he was driving down Cheshire Bridge Road just before 3:30 a.m., attempting to make a left turn, when he lost control of his car.
The 2012 Chrysler 200 careened across a parking lot, jumped a curb and crashed through the glass front of the Walgreens Community Pharmacy near the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and Cheshire Bridge, barely missing a DUI school adjacent to the pharmacy.
Responding officers found no one inside the Chrysler, which was still sticking out of the building. But the witness who called 911 told police that the driver had walked next door to the Anchor Bar.
When officers went to the bar, “the driver was sitting at the bar drinking a beer,” according to the incident report. “We then escorted the driver outside after he paid for his tab.”
Williams was arrested by the Georgia State Patrol and charged with driving under the influence.
Store manager Hannah Strong said that, while clean-up was continuing, the pharmacy was able to open for business Friday morning.
She said the store is a specialty pharmacy servicing cancer and transplant patients and others who need medications not normally carried by some neighborhood pharmacies.
“Sometimes, only certain pharmacies have the medications due to the high costs of them,” Strong said.
“We have a cleaning crew in here and our own staff got here early, and we’ve been cleaning up and servicing patients,” she said.
About the Author
