Man with hammer smashes door, equipment at Springfield Tim Hortons

A Springfield Tim Hortons was closed Monday after a man with a hammer smashed the glass door and damaged machinery after an employee said there was an argument over the drive-thru order from the man’s girlfriend.

According to a Springfield Police Division report, the incident occurred Monday morning at around 8:30 a.m. at the Tim Hortons at 2000 E. Main St.

Witnesses told police that a man wearing a black hoodie and a facemask approached the store and started to hit the glass with a hammer. The officer said the door “had a large hole in it and was completely shattered.” The man then came inside and began screaming at staff, the report said.

An employee said that the man raised the hammer at her as if he would hit her, so she fled to the office area, the report said. Another witness said the man also hit the glass between the employee area and the entrance with the hammer before moving behind the counter and knocking over the coffee and tea machinery.

The officer wrote one of the tea machines was tilted on its side and appeared to be damaged.

Finally, according to the report, one of the patrons at the store drew a pistol and chased the man with the hammer out.

The patron with the gun said he followed the suspect into the parking lot and fired one shot in the air because he was worried the suspect might be retrieving a firearm from his car.

Instead, the suspect got into a car, described as a black sedan with dark tinted windows and a blacked-out license plate cover, and fled the area, the report said.

A manager told police that the man’s girlfriend had just been a customer at the drive-thru and was dissatisfied with her order, leading to an argument. Police received video of the incident and took photographs of the suspect, according to the report.

The store closed on Monday due to the incident, and employees said that the lobby was closed on Tuesday, but reopened fully on Wednesday.

The report listed possible charges for the incident including vandalism, aggravated menacing and inducing panic.

About the Author

Daniel Susco is a Dayton-area native and staff writer covering breaking news throughout the greater Dayton area. He holds a journalism degree from Ohio University and began writing for the Dayton Daily News, Hamilton Journal-News, Springfield News-Sun, and Dayton.com in 2019.