Jury Selection Scheduled for Man Accused of Crashing Car Into La Jolla Bakery, Injuring Five

Jury selection was scheduled to start today for a man who allegedly drove his car into a Bird Rock restaurant in August 2010 causing injuries to two adults and three teens. The driver, Ronald Troyer, 66, has previous DUI-related convictions. Jury selection, however, was postponed till tomorrow.

A passenger in Troyer’s car during the time of the accident testified at an earlier hearing that the defendant hit a curb in a roundabout near the 5500 block of La Jolla Boulevard just before 7 p.m., Aug. 15, 2010, then sped up in anger and “floored it” while taking his hands off the steering wheel.

The car drove into Cass Street Café & Bakery. A teenage girl was pinned under the vehicle, two additional teenagers suffered broken bones, and a couple was also injured.

Troyer allegedly tried to leave the scene of the crime and allegedly told witnesses “someone stole my car.”

Troyer is charged with felony reckless driving, hit-and-run, and three misdemeanor counts of driving under a suspended license. He faces a maximum of 12 years in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney David Uyar.

Troyer’s blood was drawn following the crash, and it tested positive for the active ingredients in marijuana, according to earlier court testimony.

According to Uyar, Troyer was convicted twice in 2005 for driving under the influence. In addition, Troyer has convictions in 2006, 2007 and 2008 for driving with a suspended license, according to DMV records.

City News Service contributed to this report.