An armed man crashed his car into an Anaheim liquor store and subsequently tried to rob the clerk and patrons late Wednesday, police said.
The incident occurred about 11:55 p.m. at the House of Spirits liquor store located at 3454 W. Lincoln Ave.
The man drove his car inside the store, got out and started demanding money from the store clerk and patrons while waving a gun, Anaheim police confirmed to KTLA.
The victims refused to hand over their money and the suspect eventually ran away. He was caught by responding officers, police said.
The unidentified suspect did not get any cash or items from the victims during the attempted robbery, and a gun was recovered at the scene, police said.
He was booked on suspicion of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and felony vandalism.
Manpreet Singh, who has managed the liquor store since 2015, said he was getting ready to close when the crash occurred.
He thought the crash was an accident before the man came out of the car and pointed a gun at him and the customers. He managed to get out of the store, however, and call police.
“It was crazy. We were afraid, to be honest,” Singh said at the scene.
Ivan Fregoso was pumping gas at a nearby station when he saw the suspect drive around the parking lot, screeching his tires, before slamming into the store. He said he watched the man come out and sit outside the store for a while, too.
“I have no idea what he was doing,” Fregoso said.
The car, which caused extensive damage to the store, was eventually towed out of the building.