The Providence Police District 9 substation, housed in one of several units at 250 Brook St., is boarded up after a driver crashed his vehicle through the building's front wall early Saturday morning.
The driver, Matthew Whitfield, 25, of Chatham, N.J., reported that he meant to brake to park in a space in front of the station, but accidentally hit the accelerator, driving completely into the building, which was unoccupied at the time, according to a report secured by The Herald from Lt. John Ryan, district commander.
Whitfield, who passed a field sobriety test, was cited for failure to maintain control of the vehicle, according to the report.
The University owns all of 250 Brook St. Facilities Management secured the substation after the accident, according to the crash report.
Desks and computers inside the substation were damaged as a result of the crash.
The driver hit a parked vehicle while backing out of the building, according to the report.
The city's building inspector authorized the substation to be boarded up. The police are currently using a part of the station that was not damaged.
Ryan said he did not know how much damage had been done, adding that the city is currently making an assessment.
