LAWRENCE, Mass. (WHDH) — A man accused of driving drunk when he crashed an SUV into a 7-Eleven in Lawrence on Sunday pleaded not guilty.
The crash happened at the 7-Eleven on Lowell Street. Julia Cruz said she was with her friend talking to the clerk behind the counter when the driver’s SUV plowed through the store. Cruz was inches away from getting struck. Her 64-year-old friend suffered a leg injury and remains hospitalized.
“I was panicking. That could have been me too,” said Cruz.
Juan Tavares Mora, 31, was arrested on a drunken driving charge following the crash. The judge ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and he is due in court next month.
“It happened so fast and it was crazy. Something I don’t want to ever experience again,” said Cruz.
The 7-Eleven suffered extensive damage but is expected to reopen Monday.
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