VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A driver has died after crashing their vehicle into Bunker Brewpub underneath Peabody's Nightclub at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Friday night.
At approximately 10:58 p.m. while on routine patrol, a Virginia State Police trooper saw a Toyota sedan speed by his marked unit in the eastbound lanes of I-264 at First Colonial Road. The vehicle was clocked going more than 100 mph. The trooper tried to stop the driver.
As the driver approached the Oceanfront, passing Parks Avenue, the trooper deactivated his emergency equipment, but the driver continued east towards Pacific Avenue.
As the driver approached stopped traffic at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 21st Street, the driver sideswiped several vehicles and then continued to crash into the building, located on the corner of the intersection.
The vehicle caught fire, and the driver, who was the only person in the vehicle, died upon impact.
Police identified the driver as 28-year-old Andy Lee Curry, a Virginia Beach resident.
Three Virginia Beach Police officers tried to rescue the driver after the crash; the officers suffered smoke inhalation.
Two pedestrians were hit by flying debris. One was taken to the hospital, and the other refused treatment.
The Virginia State Police Crash Reconstruction team was called to the scene to assist in the investigation.
News 3 spoke to Tom Wilder, one of the co-owners of Bunker Brewpub. He told us no one inside The Bunker was injured.
Wilder said the car crashed into the guard rail outside the building's glass garage door. He said the car never came into the building.
After the car hit the guardrail, Wilder said the fire marshal told everyone to evacuate. Everyone evacuated through the back of the establishment.
There is no further information to provide at this time.
