By Mark Price
Merced Sun-Star
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Four children were among nine people hurt when an underage drunk driving suspect crashed into tables surrounding a popular taco stand, according to investigators in Florida.
The crash happened around 11:15 p.m. Monday, June 9, as crowds surrounded La Mexicana Taco Stand on Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers, police said in a news release.
Witnesses reported the vehicle “struck the business’s outdoor seating area,” which consists of picnic tables under a tent.
Two families were sharing the area at the time, including children ages 16, 15, 9 and 3, WFTX reports.
The nine victims were taken to hospitals with a range of injuries, none of which are life-threatening, police said.
Video shared on Facebook by WINK shows the aftermath of the vehicle coming to a stop with tent poles wrapped across its hood and a crushed picnic table beneath.
“The driver ... was found to be intoxicated at the time of the crash and was placed under arrest,” police said.
Luis Alejandro Velasquez Herrera, 20, of Fort Myers, was charged with one count of driving under the influence and nine counts of being involved in a DUI crash with property damage or personal injury, police said.
The legal age to consume alcohol in Florida is 21.
Jail records show the suspect lives about a half-mile southwest of the taco stand.
Fort Myers is about a 125-mile drive southeast from Tampa.
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