An allegedly drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel and rammed an SUV through the walls of a gas station in central Tuscaloosa Friday afternoon, police have confirmed to the Tuscaloosa Thread.

A spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department said dispatchers received a call at 12:30 reporting that a Kia SUV driving on Veterans Memorial Parkway had veered off the road and crashed into the Chevron has station at the intersection of Kicker Road.

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Officers responded and reportedly found 45-year-old David Emanueal Prewitt unconscious at the wheel.

The police spokesperson said at this time, based on witness accounts and other available evidence, investigators believe Prewitt was intoxicated, fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of the vehicle.

The Tuscaloosa man was charged with driving under the influence, driving with an open alcohol beverage in his car and interfering with an ignition interlock device. It was not immediately clear Saturday morning when and why the device was installed.

No one inside the Chevron gas station was injured, but the building suffered serious damage and will likely be closed for sometime as repairs get underway.

Prewitt was booked in the Tuscaloosa County Jail on a combined $1,800 bond and remained booked there Saturday.

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