Chinese restaurant damaged by truck

A truck carrying two adults and two children crashed through the window of a Chinese restaurant at the Windward City Shopping Center on Sunday morning.

Honolulu police said no one was injured as a result of the 10 a.m. crash.

Tommy Hui, manager of Joyful Garden Chinese Seafood Restaurant, said the man driving the truck appeared to put his foot on the gas pedal instead of the brake while pulling into a parking stall.

Hui said four or five patrons were eating in the dining room at the time of the crash, but the driver drove into the VIP room, which was vacant. Since the main dining room was not damaged, Hui said operations were relatively uninterrupted.

"Good thing is no one got hurt," he said.

Hui said he filed a police report, and the driver has insurance that will pay for the damage. He has not yet gotten an estimate for how much it will cost to repair the glass.

Nearly a year ago Joyful Garden erupted in flames, and police opened an arson investigation. Fire investigators determined that the early-morning fire was set intentionally after they found several gas cans at the scene and smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the restaurant, police said at the time.

Damage then was estimated at $20,000 to the contents and $20,000 to the building. There has been no word on any arrests made in connection with the case.