BILLINGS — Don Phillips, the owner of Bull Mountain Brew coffee kiosk, is now left picking up the pieces of his business after Saturday night when people left it destroyed after running into it with a truck not once, but two times.
“I got a phone call, 10 o’clock, police department said my building had been run into,” Phillips, 63, said Monday outside his kiosk at 4220 State Ave.
In the nine years Phillips has operated the kiosk in this location, he has only ever had one other incident of crime. Three months ago, his kiosk was broken into, but he never thought anything like this would happen.
“This is definitely my livelihood, and it’s gone,” he said.
The events of Saturday night were all caught by security camera. The video shows a truck leaving a business next door to the kiosk, driving past the kiosk, backing up and then smashing into the building. One hit must not have been enough for the driver, because they proceed to back up and hit the kiosk for a second time, leaving Phillips's business destroyed.
“I mean, I could understand it if it was somebody under the influence. Okay, I’ll live with that, but when it’s intentional, that’s horrid. Horrid,” he said.
Another camera angle shows three others standing by a white vehicle, and it appears one is recording video or taking photos of the truck smashing into the kiosk. The truck then enters the parking lot next to the white vehicle, and one person standing by the white vehicle enters the truck through the passenger side door. According to Phillips, the truck had been stolen and was later abandoned in the parking lot.
“The video that we did get shows them running away from the pickup,” he said.
Phillips is also the only employee at the kiosk and said he can’t enter his business now because of the damage.
“It’s frightful. It’s a scary feeling not knowing where you’re going to get money,” he said.
But one thing is certain: When he does rebuild, he said he’s going to stay in the same location because of the relationships he's built with his customers.
"Oh my goodness. Tremendous people. Tremendous. So I’m not leaving them,” he said.
Phillips does fear that the people involved in the crime will not be caught but still hopes someone may recognize them so they can be held accountable for their actions.
Click here to visit a gofundme page to help Phillips.
