Driving Lesson Ends With Van in Apartment

Bricks Rain on Resident; 2 Charged

A man whose friend was teaching him how to drive crashed a minivan into a Lanham area apartment Monday, injuring a resident who was sitting inside, authorities said.

The crash occurred just after 10 a.m. at a three-story garden-style apartment building in the 9700 block of Good Luck Road, authorities said.

A 46-year-old man sitting inside his apartment was hit by flying bricks and hospitalized for a leg injury that was not life-threatening, according to authorities, and was expected to be released Monday.

The two men in the van were uninjured, authorities said.

Authorities said nearly all of the van ended up in the man's bedroom. When the dust settled, only its rear wheels remained outside, authorities said. A building inspector was called to assess the damage to the apartment, which is typical when a vehicle runs into a building.

Witnesses told authorities that the men were sitting and talking in the parked minivan before it suddenly accelerated, traveling about 25 yards and then hitting the building.

Police said the van's driver was in the country illegally. He was charged with reckless endangerment and driving without a license, police said.

The man's friend, who also did not have a license, was charged with reckless endangerment.

Police did not identify the two men in the van they had not been processed at the county jail.