Driver Arrested After Crashing Car Into Gas Station

A DUI driver has been arrested after they crashed their car at a gas station in Chandler, leaving one person injured.

ABC 15 in Phoenix reports that the crash happened near the intersection of Alma School Road and Chandler Boulevard on Thursday, October 24th, approximately 1:00 p.m. when a man hit a gas pump and started a fire that hurt another customer who was also pumping gas.

A spokesperson for the Chandler Police Department says that Clemente Torres pulled into the pulled into the filling station and then realized he was on the wrong side of the pumps to fill his vehicle. Torres then got back into his vehicle, hit the gas pedal with such force that it caused the vehicle to spin into the pump, causing it to ignite.

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Eyewitness Robert Waite told ABC that what happened next was not unlike when someone waits too long to light a gas grill, and the propane has been on too long. Waite said that the flash fire was instantaneous, and a woman who was pumping gas nearby looked as if she were engulfed in flames.

Fire crews arrived on the scene, and the woman was treated at the scene for burns. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment, but authorities say that she is expected to recover. Her identity has not been released.

Torres fled the scene of the crash but was later apprehended and placed under arrest. He is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and other related charges.

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