87-year-old driver plows into Mexican restaurant in Batavia

An 87-year-old man crashed an SUV into a Mexican restaurant Wednesday afternoon in west suburban Batavia.

At 1:34 p.m., officers responded after the man’s Toyota 4Runner plowed into the Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant at 4 S. Van Buren St., according to Batavia police. After the initial crash, the man backed up and drove onto a snow bank before before coming to a stop in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The driver told investigators he was driving through the lot when he lost control of his 4Runner and barreled into the restaurant, police said. The man, who lives in Batavia, wasn’t found to be intoxicated.

No citations were issued because the crash happened on private property, police said.

The restaurant was evacuated after the crash, and city inspectors responded to the scene to inspect the building, police said. A damaged wall was then secured.