A pickup truck drove through the wall of an airport in Sarasota, Florida, Thursday and crashed into a car rental’s front desk.
Surveillance footage showed the moment the terrifying incident occurred at Sarasota-Bradenton Internationl Airport:
At about 2:51 a.m., the officers with the New College Police Department saw 40-year-old Juan Monsivis driving northbound on U.S. Highway 41 in a white pickup.
The officers attempted a traffic stop but were unable to catch up with the vehicle, according to the Herald-Tribune.
Moments later, Monsivis drove through a fence on the airport’s west side and raced down a utility road. He then crashed into the airport’s terminal and sped past a luggage carousel.
The truck finally stopped when it rammed into the front desk of the National Car Rental.
Two employees were behind the counter but jumped out of the way when they saw the vehicle approach.
“It’s amazing no one was hurt,” said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kenn Watson.
Airport president and CEO, Rick Piccolo said the incident happened about 20 minutes after the last flight had landed, so the terminal was mostly clear of people.
“He smashed through a (cinder-block) wall and a conveyor system,” Piccolo noted. “There was a lady at the counter next to it from the car rental. Luckily, she wasn’t hurt.”
Monsivis was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with serious injuries, according to Fox 13.
Authorities said he may have been impaired or suffered from a medical incident at the time of the crash. However, police said Monsivis has a history of arrests for drugs, DUI and driving with a suspended license.
“Other arrests include charges of unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm, battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, hit-and-run with property damage and possession of synthetic marijuana,” the Herald-Tribune reported.
One of the three luggage conveyor belts was damaged during the incident, so the airport will be down to two during one of the busiest times of the year, Piccolo noted.
He estimated that in all, the damage caused to the terminal will likely cost $250,000 or more.
Despite the damage, Piccolo expressed his relief that the area was mostly clear of travelers at the time of the crash.
“If this happened during the day, it would’ve been a much different story,” he concluded.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.