Driver and passenger walk away after slamming into Houston coffee shop, video shows

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Xela Coffee in Houston’s Second Ward has been serving cups of goodness to its community for nearly 10 years.

“It’s better to support a neighbor or a friend than to go somewhere else,” Carolina, a regular customer at the shop, said.

Patrons said it’s the people that make Xela their go-to spot, so they were shocked to see a car had slammed into the front of it.

“I was just surprised it didn’t hit…cause it looked like it was going directly toward the window,” Carolina said. On March 12, a surveillance camera caught a sedan coming off the road, taking down a tree, and slamming into the corner of Xela.

From a second angle, you can see two men – a driver and a passenger – get out and walk away.

“We’re glad no one was in the shop, and everyone was safe, but it caused quite a bit of commotion out here,” co-owner Bryan Aguilar said. Owners Aguilar and Caitlin O’Brien say this is the second time a car has hit their storefront, but this time, it’s much more shocking.

“They completely bounced off the tree and into the wall. That was the most shocking thing – that they were able to survive that and walk away from that,” Aguilar said.

Outside the shop, walls are boarded up, and the tree stump has been ripped away. Inside, the walls show the force of the impact.

The building is safe to operate out of. The owners say as long as they’re able to keep serving, they will.

“It’s a place for everyone to come together and hang out and have a good time and have really good coffee,” O’Brien said.

Police said this is an open investigation, and they are still looking for the two men who got out of the car.

The owners said if you would like to support them as they do repairs, you can stop by their shop on Canal Street in the Second Ward.