Towing attempt gone wrong: SUV rolls into University Place restaurant twice
Aug 3, 2025, 6:01 AM
A vehicle crashed into a restaurant at University Place in Pierce County. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A failed attempt to tow a broken-down vehicle ended with it crashing twice into a University Place restaurant early Wednesday morning, causing extensive damage, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies were called to Pho and Teriyaki on Bridgeport Way around 6 a.m. on July 30 after a maroon vehicle was found crashed into the restaurant’s entrance.
The car was left abandoned in the parking lot, and surveillance footage helped investigators piece together a timeline of what happened.
Video from nearby businesses shows the maroon vehicle was originally parked at the AutoZone across the lot at about 5:45 p.m. the day before.
The driver reportedly told AutoZone employees the car wasn’t working and that he planned to return with a way to tow it.
At 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, a white Honda Pilot with a tow dolly backed up to the vehicle and attempted to move it using a tow strap.
About an hour and a half later, the SUV managed to pull the maroon car from its parking stall—but the strap gave out shortly afterward, leaving the vehicle at the opposite end of the lot.
The driver made another attempt around 5:50 a.m.
This time, when the strap snapped again, the maroon vehicle rolled downhill and crashed into the front of Pho and Teriyaki.
Surveillance shows the driver tried once more to tow the car, nearly making it out of the lot before the strap broke a third time.
That failure sent the vehicle rolling into the restaurant’s entrance a second time.
After a final effort ended with the car stuck along a retention wall and curb, the driver and a female passenger gave up and left the area.
Deputies say both suspects fled in the white Honda Pilot, leaving the damaged car behind.
The restaurant sustained significant damage, and the incident is being investigated as a hit-and-run collision.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is asking the public for help identifying the driver of the white Honda Pilot or the woman seen with him.
Anyone with information is urged to contact University Place deputies.
