Upset Guy Who Crashed His Just-Bought Subaru Into Dealer Showroom Faces Felony Charges

Remember the disgruntled used Subaru Outback buyer who drove through the side of a Mazda dealership outside Salt Lake City late last year? We certainly do—and so do the authorities in Sandy City, where a warrant has been issued for the driver, who is now facing additional charges in connection with the incident. Now, he’s looking at felony property damage, misdemeanor reckless endangerment, and economic disruption.

In early December, a 35-year old man purchased the Outback from Tim Dahle Mazda dealership. Later that day, after reporting mechanical problems that were supposedly not disclosed by the dealer, he returned, insisting on a refund. After being told the sale was final, he became angry and left, but not before threatening to drive the wagon through the showroom doors.

Sure enough, that’s what he did. While a dealer representative told Automotive News that the driver had ultimately been offered the refund he wanted, he was either too angry to hear it, or too angry to process it. Either way, the enraged customer climbed back behind the wheel of the Subaru and drove it straight into the showroom. Miraculously, nobody was hurt, and in typical 2024 fashion, the climax was caught on video (warning: NSFW language). He was booked on charges of felony criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in the dealership’s parking lot later that day. Now that everybody has tallied up the cost of repairs (more than $85,000 for the dealer alone), the authorities were able to pursue a formal indictment.

Due to that cost, the property damage charge was escalated to a class 2 felony, which could result in up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000—probably more than what it would’ve cost to fix just about anything on that Outback. And hey, it worked well enough to drive it through the doors, right? It couldn’t have been that broken.

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