A 60-year-old Texas man was arrested after police say he deliberately drove his vehicle through the front of a closed Kroger grocery store because he needed to use the bathroom.
The incident unfolded just before 4:30 a.m. On Sunday in Rosenberg, Texas, a city about 35 miles southwest of Houston. The man, who has not been publicly identified, allegedly became upset when he found the store’s doors locked and decided to force his way inside.
Rosenberg Police detailed the crash in a Facebook post, writing: “On Sunday, September 27th, at approximately 0428, a known male individual intentionally accelerated into Kroger, causing extensive damage to the pharmacy entrance.”
The department did not hold back on its commentary about the unusual motive. “I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go but we strongly advise finding a store open for business…to do your business,” police added on Facebook.
Images released by the department showed the aftermath of the crash. The vehicle came to rest inside the store, surrounded by shattered glass that littered both the interior and exterior of the building. The metal door frames at the pharmacy entrance sustained significant damage from the impact.
The extent of the destruction prompted the police to characterize it as “extensive damage” in their official statement. No estimate of the repair costs has been released.
Police told local media that the man was taken into custody and faces criminal mischief charges. The specific degree of the charge was not immediately disclosed, though criminal mischief in Texas can range from a Class C misdemeanor to a first-degree felony depending on the amount of damage caused.
The suspect’s age was confirmed as 60, but authorities have not released his name or any additional details about his background. It remains unclear whether he was under the influence of any substances at the time of the incident or whether he had attempted to locate another open restroom before resorting to the crash.
The Kroger location, like many grocery stores, operates with overnight hours that typically end before the early morning restocking period. The pharmacy entrance that the man targeted is often positioned separately from the main store entrance at many Kroger locations.
The Rosenberg Police Department’s social media response struck a tone of exasperated humor that quickly drew attention online, with the department’s “gotta go” quip turning a routine incident report into widely shared content.
The suspect’s case will now move through the Fort Bend County criminal justice system.