Driver killed when truck crashes into downtown Athens building

By Joe Johnson

The driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck was killed Wednesday morning when his truck crashed into Magnolias Bar on East Broad Street.

The man reportedly was suicidal and was driving away from police officers.

He was identified as 46-year-old Kevin Cissner of Buckhead.

“We were informed that he was in the area of a downtown hotel and when officers made contact he briefly fled,” police spokesperson Lt. Katie Jenkins said.

“The officers did not pursue and he came down North Jackson Street and struck Magnolias .”

The building, which formerly housed the historic Tasty World music venue, partially collapsed and traffic into the area was halted during the emergency response.

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