Troopers say the driver walked away from the wreck and later faced felony charges
NEWARK, DE — A man who had repeatedly been asked to leave a Newark pub intentionally steered his car toward the business and smashed into its front entrance hours later while under the influence of alcohol, Delaware State Police allege.
The Aug. 15 crash at Two Stones Pub, located at 1203 Christiana Road, ultimately led to the arrest of Johnny Guzman, 35, of New Castle.
Troopers were called to the pub at approximately 1:30 a.m. for a report that a vehicle had crashed into the building.
When they arrived, police found an unoccupied Mitsubishi Lancer that had struck the front of the pub.
The business was closed at the time and nobody was inside, according to State Police.
Troopers said documents belonging to Guzman were found inside the Mitsubishi.
A short time later, police located Guzman walking west along Christiana Road away from the crash scene.
Troopers said Guzman showed several signs of impairment and refused to perform standardized field sobriety tests.
He was taken to a local hospital because of his impairment while investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for his blood, police said.
Investigators later determined that Guzman had been a patron at Two Stones Pub earlier that night.
Pub employees asked him to leave multiple times, but police said Guzman remained on the property for several hours.
Investigators allege Guzman eventually entered his Mitsubishi and began driving away before accelerating and intentionally turning toward the pub’s front doors.
The vehicle then crashed into the building, according to State Police.
Troopers obtained a warrant for Guzman’s arrest Thursday. He subsequently turned himself in at Delaware State Police Troop 6.
Guzman was charged with third-degree burglary and criminal mischief of $5,000 or more, both felonies, along with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of a property collision, malicious mischief by a motor vehicle and related traffic offenses.
He was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court and released on a $2,650 unsecured bond.
The charges are accusations, and Guzman is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Key Points
- Delaware State Police allege Johnny Guzman, 35, intentionally drove his Mitsubishi into the front of Two Stones Pub after employees had repeatedly asked him to leave.
- The Newark business was closed and nobody was inside when the vehicle struck the building at approximately 1:30 a.m. Aug. 15.
- Guzman faces two felony charges, DUI and several other offenses and was released on a $2,650 unsecured bond.
