A stolen car crashed into a Loring Park bar in Minneapolis early Saturday, causing a gas leak and forcing residents to evacuate apartment buildings nearby, police said.
The driver, who police said was impaired by drugs, and a man injured in the crash were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with minor injuries, police spokeswoman Sgt. Catherine Michal said.
A man was driving near Nicollet Avenue and 19th Street when another man jumped in front of the vehicle, Michal said. The man stomped on the hood and windshield of the car.
The driver got out of the car. The suspect got in and drove north toward Loring Park, Michal said.
Witnesses saw a black sedan with a shattered windshield driving west on 15th Street toward LaSalle Avenue around 1:30 a.m. The car jumped the curb on the opposite side and collided with a parking pole and the front entrance of 19 Bar.
Police closed off most of the block between 14th and 15th streets, witnesses said. Patrons inside the 19 Bar were told to exit from the back of the bar.
Police learned that the car had struck a gas line, causing a gas leak, Michal said. Fire crews arrived and evacuated nearby apartment buildings around 2:30 a.m.
CenterPoint Energy crews also responded to help repair the line, Michal said. Residents were allowed to re-enter their complexes around 3:45 a.m.
