Employee cited after vehicle crashes into 31st Street restaurant

A 33-year-old employee of El Potro Mexican Cafe, 2351 W. 31st St., was ticketed for reckless driving after he crashed his truck into the restaurant Tuesday afternoon.

Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence police spokesman, said no one was injured but the building sustained damage. An employee said the restaurant remained open.

Police determined Marcos Guevara Hernandez of Lawrence was traveling at a high rate of speed through the parking lot about 2 p.m. when he lost control on a patch of sand and debris and crashed into the west side of the building. An off-duty police officer was in a booth at the restaurant during the crash.

McKinley said Hernandez told officers he was arriving for work when he lost control of the vehicle. He also said he had consumed a small amount of alcohol prior to the crash, but police were not able to determine he had consumed more than the legal limit to drive, the sergeant said.

Police also cited Hernandez for not having a valid driver’s license, and he has a notice to appear in municipal court July 11.