Angry Guest Drives Truck Through Hotel Lobby

A guest at an Oklahoma hotel drove through the lobby in protest of how his hotel and bank treated his debit card transaction.

A guest of an Oklahoma hotel showed displeasure over his accommodations by driving a truck through the lobby, narrowly missing the working staff. CNN reports John Edward Parsley was arrested and accused of ramming his truck through the lobby of the Comfort Inn and Suites in Alva, Oklahoma.

The incident began on December 9, when the 62-year-old man was a guest at the location. When he attempted to pay for his room with a debit card, it was declined. Parsley insisted the hotel try his card again and it was once again denied. Parsley ultimately paid for his room with cash withdrawn from an ATM.

The next day, Parsley asked to stay another day and once again attempted to pay with his debit card. The card was once again denied, forcing the guest to pay with cash once more. After payment, Parsley discovered the hotel put a hold of over $200 on his account, leading him to believe he was being charged twice. According to the hotel staff, Parsley demanded they remove the hold from his card. Afterward, Parsley allegedly climbed into his truck and drove into the lobby.

“[Parsley] was still upset and called police while he was threatening to drive his truck through the lobby,” hotel co-owner Rupal Kingston Christian told CNN. “Dispatch told him to step outside, and then he positioned his truck facing the lobby and I called police back telling them this.”

Surveillance camera footage obtained by CNN shows a man getting into a truck as a police officer speaks to him. The truck then accelerated, crashing into the lobby. Although the hotel staff was behind the desk when the incident took place, no one was killed or seriously injured.

Parsley was arrested and booked on charges of assault and malicious injury to property. According to a police report, Parsley told officers he allegedly drove the truck through the lobby because “they thought he was bluffing, and he proved he wasn’t.”

[Photo: NBC News]