Drunk driver crashes through apartment wall

A man operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol drove through the wall of an unoccupied apartment on Thursday. Warner Robins Police Department responded to the early morning incident on July 29 at 3:31 a.m. They arrived to find that a 1985 Chevrolet C-10 had broken through the brick wall of the residential unit located at 1205 Green Street.

All the parties at the scene upon the arrival of authorities confirmed that no one was in the apartment at the time of the accident. The unit was being used for storage purposes.

Although the driver of the truck was not on the scene when officers arrived, one witness informed police that they had seen the male subject run behind the house located at 1201 Green Street. According to witness account, he was staggering and having trouble keeping his balance.

After a search, officers located the driver walking near the accident location. Upon observation, police described him as having bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and having a strong odor of alcohol. The subject wasn’t immediately responsive to the questions he was being asked on the scene. Attending officers said that he, instead, staggered to the bed of the wrecked vehicle, opened the tailgate and sat down.

The man later identified himself as 29-year-old Elwynn Lajuan Hunter of Warner Robins. The official arrest report shows him to be a forklift driver employed by Tractor Supply. After running his vehicle tag, it was discovered that Hunter had a suspended license and had only a DUI permit. Once he began talking, Hunter claimed that another vehicle had tried to run him off the road, which caused him to swerve to avoid it, and when he did so, his brakes did not work. According to him, that is what caused his crash into the building.

It has been determined that Hunter did, indeed lose control of his vehicle as he traveled westbound on Green Street. However, a witness on the scene said that he did not see any other vehicles on the road when the incident occurred. In the process of losing control of his truck, Hunter damaged his tire rim as he bumped a curb. The rim, in turn, separated from the wheel and struck two nearby parked vehicles—a black 2020 Honda Pilot and a red 2004 Ford Explorer.

Despite the impairment of his vehicle, Hunter continued driving but the truck ultimately came to a crashing halt when it collided with the vacant apartment. While no report of injuries was mentioned, the official media release from WRPD stated that the subject refused medical treatment on the scene. As officers placed him under arrest, it was discovered that Hunter also had marijuana in his front right pocket.

Hunter has been charged with DUI-Alcohol, possession of marijuana less than an ounce, driving while license is suspended, violation of limited driving permit (DUI permit) and duty upon striking a fixed object.

He is being held for bond at the Houston County Detention Facility.

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