FLORISSANT, Mo. — A customer of Florissant's Rice House died Monday afternoon after a car crashed through the restaurant, the city's police department said.
The vehicle crashed into the business at 11:47 a.m., the Florissant Police Department said. Officials don't know what caused the collision.
Rice House's head chef and owner Kenny Truong told 5 On Your Side that the 52-year-old victim was a regular customer at the restaurant who was sitting near the window waiting for his family.
Florissant police identified the customer on Tuesday as Richard Reed.
Reed's daughter, Shawna Reed, said she is "hurt and still trying to understand what happened."
"He was very loved. He had two kids and four grandkids that will miss him dearly. My dad was taken way too soon. He didn't deserve this," she said.
"We're just very shocked that this had happened, and was worried about everyone's safety, customers and our staff," Truong said.
Blended Styles Owner Marc Wallace heard the crash happen.
"We heard this explosion, and we thought, you know, working next door to a restaurant, something happened. Let's get outside before something happens in here," Wallace said.
He and a customer came outside to see a black BMW SUV inside the restaurant.
"To walk over and see two women trying to get out, and then to see a man pinned underneath barely breathing. The workers inside The Rice House were trying to talk to him, but they were still in shock, still trying to get their bearings together," Wallace said.
He added the ambulance took 10 to 15 minutes to arrive and he saw the man get rushed off to the hospital, where he later died, but the driver and passenger were not injured.
"The driver, all she kept saying was, 'I had the car in park. I had it in park. It took off on his own. It took off on his own,'" Wallace said.
Truong said they have owned the restaurant for more than a decade and had 11 of their 20 employees inside at the time. Many of them will be out of work until they can finish the repairs.
"We're going to be a little setback financially and it's going to take a whole lot of effort to get this thing back going," Truong said.
Truong was devastated to hear the man had died.
"I'm hurt. I'm lost for words. Prayers to the family, I mean, my goodness," he said.
The driver is cooperating with investigators.
"The Florissant Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident," officers said. "Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available."
Reed's family has established a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs.