8 vehicles damaged by truck in North Toledo

2/26/2005

A driver was seized by onlookers and turned over to police after he apparently went on a demolition rampage in the 1900 block of North Ontario Street in North Toledo, where he smashed eight parked vehicles with his pickup, police said.

David McFarland, 39, of 276 Licking St. was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless operation of a motor vehicle and booked into Lucas County jail. The court date was not set last night.

Officers arrived at the scene about 6:20 p.m. and saw a crowd that was restricting Mr. McFarland. Witnesses told police that Mr. McFarland repeatedly crashed his vehicle into unoccupied parked vehicles and damaged eight of them before his truck became disabled.

Larry Warnimont, who lives on the block and owns one of the damaged vehicles, said he was at home when he heard a noise outside and stepped out to see a full-sized pickup, which was heading the wrong way down North Ontario, sideswipe two cars, run head-on into another, back up, ram another, back up again, and keep ramming cars.

"[My reaction was] basically total disbelief," Mr. Warnimont said. "You do see accidents now and then, but not something intentional, something malicious."