Ballito restaurant owner recounts moment customer crashes car into building
One of the owners of a Ballito restaurant into which an apparently drunk and disgruntled customer crashed his car has described the terror she felt in that moment.
The incident happened on Sunday afternoon at a packed Nikos at Ballito Bay.
Owner Tanya Tsiantos says the man arrived at the restaurant with two friends just after midday.
She says the customer was visibly intoxicated.
"They were having arguments, and the other customers were a little upset. I asked them very nicely to lower their voices, to which he got angry and started kicking chairs and swearing. We then escorted them outside the restaurant. He refused to pay his bill. We took photos of his registration and licence disc.
"He got out of the car, was very abusive, hit my husband. My husband retaliated, and security came and removed him off the property. He came back again without a shirt on, screaming and punching walls, we called security again."
READ: Man in court for crashing car into Ballito restaurant
Tsiantos says she was outside cleaning up the mess from the altercation when she saw the man return in his vehicle.
"I saw him driving in, he then pointed his finger at me, and he drove straight into my restaurant with my standing in the entrance. I ran down the stairs screaming that everyone must move and hide. I have never been so scared in my life.
"We have another restaurant above us, I thought they were going to collapse and fall on us because we have a beam right by the entrance. I was so scared for everyone; people were jumping off my balustrade and running into the ocean. That's how scared people were."
She says there were about 100 people in the restaurant at the time.
The 50-year-old man was arrested.
Tsianto says the damage to the restaurant is extensive, with an aluminium door that costs over R150,000 needing to be replaced.
The suspect was due in the Umhlali Magistrate's Court on Monday to face charges of reckless and negligent driving.
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