Police got the call at approximately 7:05 p.m., according to a media release. Once police arrived, they discovered the driver had fled the scene in his vehicle.
Witnesses stated they observed the vehicle, a small SUV, hit the corner of the building facing the street. Several occupants then got out of the vehicle, the release noted.
However, the driver of the SUV then quickly drove away from the scene. Witnesses described the vehicle as being badly damaged in the front end with air bags having been deployed.
Police identified the driver as being a 22-year-old Grand Falls-Windsor man. He was located a short time later and arrested outside his residence. The male was arrested and then taken to RCMP detachment where a breath test was performed with the male blowing nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol.
The male's vehicle was later located in a wooded area across the Exploits River behind the site of the old paper mill where he had attempted to conceal it.
The male was later released with a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 29th, 2017, with pending charges of impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failing to remain at the scene of a collision, and obstruction of justice.
There were no serious injuries as a result of this incident, the release noted.
