TAMPA — A car slammed into a building shortly after midnight Thursday.
Karl Sundstrom, co-owner of Woodsawyer Inc, said a police officer called to tell him someone drove into his business.
"Somebody had come through the front of the building, probably at a high rate of speed, cause there (weren't any) tire marks, skid marks, or anything in the building or outside the building," Sundstrom said.
Detectives arrested the driver of the car, Perry Sylvain. He is charged with flee/elude police, flee/elude law enforcement at high rate, and hit and run-leave scene of crash involve damage to property.
Detectives said Sylvain ran a stop sign first and then sped away from them when they tried to stop him.
They said after he crashed into the building, he walked away. Investigators said Sylvain told them he drove away from them because "the police kill black people."
Sundstrom said he is glad no one was hurt. He said he does not know how much it will cost to fix the damage or whether he has to replace any equipment.
"We're just a small business trying to make it like most other small businesses so it will hurt us a little bit, but we'll make it through," Sundstrom said.
