Beloved Cajun Restaurant Destroyed During Police Chase

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We don’t see too many big police chases result from shoplifting lately, but one out of Abbeville, Louisiana ended dramatically when the suspect destroyed a beloved local restaurant. Now the owners of that community icon hope to rebuild what someone else demolished in seconds.

Check out the impressive performance cars recovered by cops in Louisiana.

According to Abbeville Police, 32-year-old Kevin Collins allegedly shoplifted from a Walmart in the area on the night of July 7. Police were called to the scene and when they arrived officers tried stopping the suspect, reports KLFY.

But Collins led police on a high-speed chase through Abbeville. During that he lost control of his Kia and plowed it straight into the original Cajun Claws restaurant, destroying the building and a fair amount of what was inside.

One of the owners of Cajun Claws, Jodi Choate, expressed gratitude about what did survive the crash, like some vintage bar glasses. She also said it was fortunate nobody was inside at the time.

Even more importantly, she reiterated the family-owned business has every intention of rebuilding. A Go Fund Me campaign has been set up to rebuilt the original Cajun Claws with over $11,000 donated at the time this article was written.

Here we have yet another example of how people running from police, believing they’re some racecar driver or highly skilled wheelman, directly impacts the community. While it’s great he didn’t hit another car or a building that was occupied, seriously hurting or killing people, he still affected the livelihood of a family.

Not that we think criminals will listen to what we have to say, but they need to start realizing they’re not Michael Andretti. Speeding around at over 100 mph in some crappy old Kia that’ probably has balding tires is never a good idea and was never going to end well.

Images via Jodi Choate/Facebook

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