DUI arrest after car crashes into Waffle House

SEMINOLE (FOX 13) - A driver is facing a DUI charge after crashing into a Waffle House restaurant in Seminole, fire officials say. 

When Seminole firefighters responded to the restaurant, located at 7670 Starkey Road, they found a hole on the side of the building with shattered cement blocks and other debris along the sidewalk. A torn flyer showing pancakes was partially covering the hole.

Pinellas County deputies say 45-year-old Isaias Garcia of Seminole was driving his 2002 BMW 325I southbound through the parking lot when it crashed into the north side of the building around 1 a.m. on Thursday. When deputies approached him, they said there were obvious signs of impairment, such as an odor of alcohol emitting from his breath as they spoke with him.

Garcia refused to do a field sobriety test, but agreed to submit a breath sample, which indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.165 and 0.158, deputies said. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08. Garcia was arrested on a DUI charge. 

The restaurant was evacuated and there were no injuries. Deputies say there was significant damage to the building and vehicle.