SUFFOLK, Va. — Fire crews evacuated all the buildings in the Oak Ridge Shopping Center Thursday morning after a car crashed into the building around 1 a.m., and then drove off.
"We pulled up and were just shocked," said Willard Baker, who came to get groceries the Food Lion next to the Tobacco and Vape Shop.
The manager of the shop, Walid Arfaoui, said he received several calls throughout the night about what happened at his business. He said he learned the driver sped off early in the morning, but was just relieved none of the employees were inside at the time.
"Nobody got hurt. Hopefully the guy that hit the building is okay," said Arfaoui.
Investigators told him the store would have to be closed for the next three to four months while repairs were made.
"It's not good... but it's not a bad situation," Arfauoui shrugged. "We have another store next to Panera Bread on Main Street, so we have another store for backup just in case. We're not worried about it."
Surrounding shops like the Food Lion had to be closed down for most of the day.
Suffolk Fire & Rescue said no one was hurt and the rest of the businesses were not impacted.