Officer slams into Art's Burgers in El Monte after being hit by DUI suspect, police say
Authorities say the driver suspected of DUI hit the officer's patrol vehicle who was responding to another incident at the time.
EL MONTE, Calif. (KABC) -- A police officer's vehicle slammed into a popular burger restaurant in El Monte after being struck by a DUI suspect overnight Thursday, authorities said.
The crash happened at Art's Burgers on Valley Boulevard, near Peck Road, and resulted in the building's overhang crashing down.
According to authorities, driver suspected of DUI hit the officer's patrol vehicle who was responding to another incident at the time.
Tammy Meier owns restaurant along with her father, Art, who she said just went on vacation this week.
"He told me to handle business, I dropped him off at the airport, he told me all the things that I needed to do and I said, 'I got this. The hamburger stand will still be standing when you get back,' and unfortunately, that's not true," said Meier.
The officer was transported to a hospital but is expected to be OK. The restaurant was open at the time and one employee reportedly suffered injuries to her eye from the shattered glass.
The suspect was arrested but has not been publicly identified.
The restaurant has just over 20 workers. Now, there's concern over their future.
"We need to sustain them because we have put a lot of effort into them, some of them have been with us for 16 years," said Meier.
"I hate to see my restaurant like that, that's our livelihood, that's our kids, mine, my dad's, my moms, like everybody, that supports our whole entire family," she added.
The building inspector said due to the damage, the restaurant won't be able to reopen now.
The owners are now working with their insurance company to assess the damage and make repairs to try to reopen as soon as possible.
