Tower Bar in San Diego
The Tower Bar is one of the most recognizable structures in San Diego, especially if you are a resident of City Heights or the nearby neighborhood of Fox Canyon, where the business has been serving regular customers for over 90 years.
Back then it was a drive-in soda fountain, but for years it has been a bar for drink lovers, and over the last decade, it has become a favorite of punk rock fans and other neighborhood residents.
Unfortunately, the bar added to its history this week when, on Wednesday afternoon, for the third time since its opening in 1932, it was struck by an out-of-control vehicle.
This time, the offender was a Toyota Prius involved in a police pursuit. According to Mick Rossler, owner of Tower Bar, the Prius collided head-on with a Honda before crashing into the club.
"I was in the street with the family and the bartender called me," Rossler told NBC 7 on Friday. "She sounded quite worried and told me that someone had just crashed into the building. And it was right after it happened."
The friendly Australian said no one was in the immediate area at 5 p.m. when the front of the Toyota ended up inside the bar.
"It was a miracle because normally that's where people sit to smoke," Rossler commented, referring to the outside area of the bar. "But I don't know, by sheer luck, no one was there at that time."
San Diego police reported that the Prius driver, a 19-year-old named Ahmed Shire, failed to stop at a traffic light at the intersection of Polk and Winona Avenues, approximately eight blocks from Tower Bar, and did not comply with the order to stop when a pursuit began. Investigators said the driver committed several traffic violations during the pursuit, including running red lights and speeding. According to the police, the incident ended when the Prius crossed the median, crashed into the Honda, and collided with Tower Bar.
Incredibly, no bottles were broken in the business, according to Rossler, but the bar itself shifted about six inches from the wall. The Friday night crowd may help to put it back in place. Also fortunate: the driver of the Honda told Rossler that he was okay after the accident.
Rossler theorized that the initial collision prevented the vehicle from hitting the building with more force, which is exactly what happened in two previous incidents when vehicles crashed into the bar.
"Well, the last time was in 2017 on a Saturday night, and I think it might have been a pursuit too," Rossler said. "And one of those big police SUVs crashed into the other side of the building. Also miraculously, they avoided hitting anyone other than the drummer who was playing at the time, but it could have been much worse."
In the previous incident, a customer was not so lucky.
The first one was in '64," Rossler said. "That's the famous photo where a drunk driver hit someone at the intersection of Euclid and crashed into the building, killing someone who was sitting at the bar."
Good news for Rossler and the regular customers of Tower Bar: this time there was no significant structural damage, which means the bar has been open since Wednesday night until structural engineers gave the green light. This includes Friday night, when Rossler said DJ Czar will be playing Finnish punk, and Saturday, when live music with local indie rock musicians Leavers and Magical Animals is scheduled.
Shire, who was quickly arrested at the scene without incident, is being held on $50,000 bail and faces a single charge of felony evasion.
Location: 4757 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105, United States
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