Police say an impaired driver was behind the wheel when he drove into Cleveland Mall Tuesday night.
The incident happened just before 9 p.m..
According to Shelby Police, Rigoberto Ramirez Diaz drove his Volkswagen through the entrance of Dunham Sports.
Diaz reportedly turned into the mall entrance near Marion Street, went down an embankment then plowed into the sporting goods store.
The 32-year-old man allegedly smelled of alcohol, and his blood was drawn for testing.
Diaz, of Shelby, was charged with DWI and no operator’s license. He was jailed under a $10,000 bond.
No one was injured in the incident.
“It’s definitely one of those things that could have been a lot worse if it had been a different time of day,” said Captain Brad Fraser with Shelby Police Department.
Shelby Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Matt Williams said the structural integrity of the building was not damaged in the crash. The car went through a part of the building where there used to be glass doors and went through those doors, missing any vital part of the building.
The store was back open for business Wednesday.
This isn’t the first time a car has driven into the mall in recent history.
In 2021, a man drove a stolen vehicle into the mall at the entrance between Subway and Hibbett Sports.
The man continued to use the vehicle to make his way through security gates, stopping by Hibbett Sports and Kay Jewelers where he reportedly stole the cash register drawer and clothes from the sports store, then smashed several jewelry cases in Kay and took the merchandise inside.
After filling the car with more than $100,000 in merchandise, the man drove out of the mall and was later charged with three counts of felony breaking and entering.