PARKVILLE, Mo. — A small business on Main Street became the center of attention downtown last week for all the wrong reasons.
A police pursuit in the early morning hours of Friday, March 17 ended when a vehicle crashed through the front of Finders Keepers — a knick-knack gift shop. The SUV shattered out windows and knocked out much of the front wall, requiring extensive cleanup in the hours after the crash.
Skid marks could be seen coming across Main Street where the vehicle apparently tried to turn left off Highway 9 onto Main Street before the driver lost control.
In business in Parkville for 37 years, Finders Keepers hopes to reopen as soon as possible. David Williams, the 84-year-old owner, along with community members, began the cleanup process and ensured the stability of the structure that morning.
As of the weekend, there was no estimate on the total damage done.
According to reports, the Riverside Police Department responded to a call of a disturbance at Argosy Casino Hotel overnight. Reports of a male assaulting a female indicated that the pair had then left the scene in an SUV.
When officers located the vehicle, an attempt was made to conduct a traffic stop.
Instead, the vehicle fled on Highway 9, and officers discontinued the pursuit. The SUV entered Parkville on East First Street where it tried to make a left turn onto Main Street but instead drove into the gift store.
No one was inside the building at the time. However, several items inside the store were damaged or destroyed.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested on the scene and the crash is still under investigation. The female victim was released from an area hospital after being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
It was unclear if any charges had been filed in the case.
This is not the first time that a car has struck Finders Keepers, in 2016, a car tried to make the same turn and was going too fast and struck a parked car and pushed it into the gas meter located on the front of the store.
There was not an estimated cost of the damage to the store, however Williams is hoping to reopen as soon as possible.