Police: Driver facing charges after crashing into Niskayuna AT&T store, smashing items with bat

NISKAYUNA — A Troy man is facing multiple charges after police said he crashed his vehicle into the AT&T store at Mohawk Commons on Sunday and began smashing items with a baseball bat.

Police say Steven Carrion, 29, crashed his Mercedes sedan into the glass storefront at 404 Balltown Road at around 11:21 a.m.

Police were dispatched to the scene and Carrion was taken into custody without incident. He was charged with multiple felonies, including second-degree criminal mischief; second-degree burglary; first-degree attempted assault; first-degree criminal contempt; and first-degree reckless endangerment.

He was also charged with misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon and menacing.

A motive for the incident remains unclear.

Niskayuna Police Chief Jordan Kochan was one of three police officers spotted at the scene about an hour after the incident took place. He declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

It’s unclear how many people were inside the store when the vehicle crashed through the glass storefront.

A woman, who said she was an AT&T employee working at the time of the incident, declined to comment, but said no one inside the store was injured.

Thomas Cannizzo, a town building inspector, watched as a crew from AC’s Towing and Recovery worked to dislodge the vehicle and police investigators gathered evidence.

He said he was called to the scene shortly after the crash, and was able to view the damage, which he said did not impact the structural integrity of the building or impact any of the utilities. People were spotted walking in and out of the neighboring Petsmart, while investigators worked within the roped off area in front of the AT&T store.

“There’s no damage around the interior frames or anything like that,” Cannizzo said.

He said the owners of the shopping plaza had been contacted and plans were being worked out to board up the storefront until a repair can be made.

A manager for the AT&T store declined to comment.

Cannizzo said he has been dispatched to similar incidents in the past, though he didn’t have any information on how often drivers crash through buildings in town.

“They were fortunate in a lot of different ways,” he said.

Members of the Stanford Heights Fire Department and Mohawk Ambulance responded to the scene.

The incident remains under investigation, and anyone with information should contact Niskayuna Detective Khafaga at 518-386-4580.

Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: [email protected] Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold. 

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