OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A 25-year-old man is accused of backing his car into an Oklahoma City business and then telling police he meant to hit the neighboring vape store and marijuana dispensary to burglarize it.
Police say John Lytle, of Oklahoma City, backed the vehicle into a shoe repair business Wednesday night and smashed everything in its path.
The owner’s daughter, Claudia Enciso, said it’s a massive loss for her parents and their small business.
“It’s pretty depressing and sad because they’ve been working very hard and they’ve been doing very well,” she said.
The glass from the storefront was shattered and covered the inside of the business along with ceiling tiles and everything else inside.
“When I came and saw that it was just completely gone, my heart just sunk,” Enciso said. “This is what they live off of.”
Enciso said they got a phone call from their alarm service that something was wrong.
“We didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
They arrived to find flashing lights and a massive hole in front of her father’s business.
“Major, major damage to the storefront here,” said Lt. Isaac Goodman, with the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Goodman said they had to get Lytle out of the car and the store. He then told police he hit the wrong building.
“He made some statements to officers after the fact that he had intended to burglarize the neighboring business, which is a smoke shop,” Goodman said.
Boots, other shoes and purses, among other things, were damaged.
“A lot of valuable products that we buy and sell and then a lot of things that customers of course bring in to get fixed,” she said. “We’re looking to see what we can salvage at least because a lot of stuff that they bring in is very expensive things that they want repaired.”
Enciso said there also was very old equipment inside that you can’t buy anymore. Right now, they’re waiting on their insurance situation. The family said they plan to reopen and remodel the store.
Enciso said she is just happy her family is OK.
“I’m thankful that they weren’t here at the time that it happened,” Enciso said. “The material things can be fixed, but lives can’t.”
Lytle has been booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on charges of second-degree burglary and two counts of malicious injury to property.