Stolen Car Crashes Into La Mirada Gym, Driver Arrested After Allegedly Trying To Run Off

LA MIRADA (CBSLA) — Workouts are out of the question Tuesday after a stolen car was revved up and sent crashing into a Crunch Fitness gym in La Mirada.

The crash was reported at about 2 a.m. at the gym, 12805 Valley View Ave., after a silver 4-door Honda crashed through a front plate-glass window into a front desk area. The car was finally halted by a metal stool heavy gym machinery that became wedged under the front end.

The gym was left in shambles by the car, which left a trail of shattered glass and wrecked furniture. The damage was estimated at $65,000.

A witness said he saw the driver revving the engine, put it in drive and jump out as it careened into the window. He was then seen jumping into another car waiting nearby.

"It went straight into the desk," Adrian Nolasco said. "Thankfully the guy wasn't there, the guy was on the other side, so it didn't really hit anybody."

Security video at the time of the crash shows a gym employee standing behind a counter and running out of the way as the car crashes through the front window.

Workers at the gym say the driver had been a member but his membership was canceled after complaints about him. They also said he was trying to get his $70 enrollment fee back and had threatened to fight an employee.

The gym was open at the time of the crash, but no serious injuries were reported and the building was not compromised.

Gym members reportedly tried to chase the driver down. The driver was later found by deputies and taken into custody. He was later identified by authorities as Sergio Reyes, 32, of Whittier, and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Reyes is being held on $1 million bail.

It's not known if drugs or alcohol were involved, and investigators will not confirm that the driver deliberately sent the car into the structure. Police say the car was stolen from a location nearby.