A police chase ended after the suspect drove into a Parkville business early Friday morning.
Riverside police were called to a physical disturbance at the Argosy Casino Hotel just after 1 a.m.
While on the way, officers were told a male suspect assaulted a female, and they left the area in a vehicle.
Officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but they fled on MO 9 Highway. Officers discontinued the pursuit.
The vehicle then crashed into Finders Keepers Gifts on Main Street, near MO 9.
“It's going to take a long time to clean it up. It's a big mess. All kinds of broken glass, all kinds of items,” store owner David Williams said. "We got a big variety of items in the store and like I say we've been doing it for over 35 years."
Finders Keepers is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Parkville, one of the many staples in the downtown area.
“All the businesses down here are mom and pop corporations, you know a lot of them don't have employees,” Parkville Mayor Nan Johnston said. “They run it themselves and so it's a part of their lives. It's a 24/7 365 kind of deal down here.”
This isn’t the first time Williams’ business has been faced with hardship.
“They've just been through so much during their time here,” Johnston said. “We've had two major floods since they've been here. They've had at least three cars, that I can remember, hit the building. They've been through a lot.”
Although it will take time to pick up the pieces and rebuild, Williams said he will continue to move forward.
“You just have to be a survivor to do it,” Williams said.
"They will thrive, they will go on,” Johnston said. “They will be in business again. That's just the people they are and we're proud of that in Parkville."
The driver was arrested on the scene and is being investigated.
The victim had non life-threatening injuries and was released from an area hospital.
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