A local restaurant was temporarily shut down and two women injured when an SUV drove through the building Tuesday afternoon.

Customers and employees of LaBotana were shocked as a Jeep Liberty drove through the restaurant around 1:30pm.  According to an employee, two women who were paying at the counter as the vehicle hit and came through the wall.  The women were reported by police on scene to have minor injuries such as cuts and bruises but were transported to the hospital by Guardian EMS for evaluation and treatment.

Standing behind the checkout counter, 18-year-old Santiago Perez counted his blessings that things didn’t turn out worse.

“I am so blessed that nothing happened to me,” said the shocked Perez.

Perez reported that the room where the vehicle hit, was not crowded, and had only customers at the counter, two men at a table to the side and another man at the bar area.  Perez stated that three tables that were not occupied were struck by the Jeep.

One witness described that the Jeep came through the Walgreen’s lot and turned as if to park at the restaurant and struck a parked car (very minimally) before crashing through the restaurant.

According to police on scene, the cause of the accident is possible vehicle malfunction and that it is under investigation.  The driver reported to emergency responders that the accelerator was “stuck.”

Pictured at top, emergency responders working the scene of the accident.  Below are more photos of the scene.