Thank heaven for 7-Eleven; it stops patron’s runaway car

Jace Radke

Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 10:17 a.m.

Regular customers of are always welcome inside neighborhood convenience stores, but their cars are another story.

A Las Vegas man in his 50s was making a stop at his neighborhood 7-Eleven, 1215 E. Stewart Ave., at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday when his new Pontiac Bonneville got away from him.

"He was just pulling into the parking lot and made a mistake," Metro Police Officer Julie Artau said. "His foot just slipped off the brake and onto the gas, and he and his car ended up in the store."

When the driver's foot slipped onto the gas pedal the Bonneville lurched through the glass front of the store, coming to rest halfway inside. Magazines, shelving, cans of soda and displays were sent flying.

No one was hurt in the accident, but the driver was embarrassed.

"The sad part is he is a regular customer, so he feels real bad," store owner Jackie Knight said. "It was a new car so maybe he just wasn't use to it yet."

Since the accident was on private property no citations were given to the driver.

"If he had been drunk, I could have cited him for DUI, but he was sober as a judge," Artau said.