North Carolina Man Charged With Crashing Car Into Club Capri

A 32-year-old North Carolina man has been charged with plowing his older Ford Mustang into a Bristol Township bar, according to police.

Matthew Charles Smith, a resident of Havelock, North Carolina, was arraigned Sunday morning by on-call District Judge Jean Seaman on charges of accident involving personal injury, DUI, accident involving damage, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, reckless endangerment, and related offenses.

Smith, according to police, was behind the wheel of the Mustang when it struck a pole and slammed through the wall of Club Capri at Gabrielle’s Restaurant on Emilie Road and Cinder Lane in Bristol Township’s Levittown section around 2:25 a.m. Sunday morning. The car ended up about 10 feet inside the building, injuring two people who were pinned against the wall.

Police said they learned Smith fled from the crash before they arrived. He was returned to the scene by two patrons.

Smith allegedly told an officer he fled the scene because he was scared of the consequences.

Smith also stated he drank a quarter of a gallon of vodka before the crash, police said.

An officer noted in court papers that Smith had glassy eyes, was unsteady on his feet, and was slurring his speech.

The 32 year old was transported to Lower Bucks Hospital after complaining of shoulder, leg, and face pain.

At the hospital, he screamed and cursed at hospital staff, not complying with police orders to stop, authorities said.

Following treatment at the hospital, Smith was transported to the police station for booking.

The crash caused serious damage to the bar, which had several people inside at the time, and knocked out power in the area.

“It was the loudest noise I ever heard. My first thought was a lightning strike, then when I saw the flying debris I thought it was a bomb. It was really scary. I’m just glad no one got killed,” Chris Shoemaker, a patron of the business, said in a Facebook post.

Smith was sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $300,000 bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.