Two deer cause thousands in damages at Peachtree City businesses

Two deer crash into separate shopping center businesses

Business owners in a Peachtree City shopping plaza are sweeping up shattered glass and assessing interior damage following a chaotic, back-to-back morning incident involving two separate wild deer. Clear surveillance footage captured the alarming moments when the animals smashed through the front glass windows of Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar and a neighboring spa, causing pandemonium inside both establishments before fleeing back into the surrounding woods.

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - A wild morning unfolded in Peachtree City on Monday when two deer crashed through the windows of two separate businesses simultaneously, causing extensive damage before being shooed back into the wild. 

Peachtree City wildlife encounter

What we know:

Wild surveillance video captured the moment a large buck smashed through the front window of Big Daddy’s Oyster Bar and Pub just before 9 a.m. The deer hit a vending machine inside, bounced back out, and then charged the building a second time. The whitetail buck bounded over one pool table and slid under a second as managers worked quickly to open doors and shoo the animal outside. 

At the exact same time, a second deer bashed through the window of J Massage just a half-second before the first crash. That deer ran to the back of the building and got stuck inside a restroom. Employees, unaware of the animal, opened the bathroom door and were surprised when the deer came running out. 

Both encounters ended with the animals escaping, as the Big Daddy's buck trotted along a second-floor landing, down the steps, and out into the nearby woods. The deer left behind a trail of blood, a broken antler, and a possibly fractured leg, but no employees or customers at either business were injured. 

Smashed glass and cleanup

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed the exact total cost of the structural damage, though the businesses face thousands of dollars in smashed glass and cleanup. It remains unclear what specifically spooked the two deer into running toward the shopping strip at speeds reaching 35 to 40 miles an hour. The current condition of the injured buck is also unknown after it disappeared into the thick tree line.