Cincinnati, OH – Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to a local car dealership on Saturday, in the hopes of detaining a man whose reported mental and emotional state may have proved a risk to the safety of the dealership’s clientele and staff.
O’Connor Toyota Cincinnati ranks as one of the most popular dealerships in the tri-state area. Owned and operated by former street racer, Brian O’Connor, the dealership has gained a lot of notoriety for its parts and services department, which includes a number of skilled technicians versed in the demands of ‘Fast & Furious’ inspired race modifications.
As O’Connor explains, ”I loved those movies. In the early 2000’s, I figured that my street racing days were numbered. Then the movies came out, and I ended up sharing a name with Paul Walker’s character. With the industry booming, I opened up a small garage, and the business just took off. Within three years, I had to expand into a larger space. We leased garage space from what was then Bentley Toyota, and when Jeff Bentley decided to retire in 2010, I was able to buy him out. The rest is history.”
But as well-written as his past is, Brian O’Connor found his future to be more questionable when 43-year old Ron D’Oretto tore into his lot behind the wheel of a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. D’Oretto, a failed actor and stuntman, had spent the better part of two decades crafting a public persona based on Dominic ‘Dom’ Toretto, the ‘Fast & Furious’ character played by Vin Diesel. Verging on obsession, D’Oretto had actually been served a restraining order by Diesel’s management team, forcing him to maintain a minimum distance of 300 yards from the actor at all times and prohibiting any attempts at direct contact.
“That might have been the nail in the coffin for Ron,” explains his sister, Donna (D’Oretta) Wilinski. “He left L.A. came home to Cincinnati and began to lose his grip on reality. I guess it was Paul Walker’s death in 2013 that finally pushed him over the edge. He just played Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” on repeat, cried for weeks, and would only eat tuna sandwiches with the crust cut off. He filled his room with cardboard cutouts of Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson (among others). We were worried, but he kept telling us, “The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room. Right here, right now.” When we suggested he get out and make some friends, he’d just point to the cutouts and say, “I don’t have friends, I have family.”
According to Wilinski, he then began to make two especially troubling claims. First, that he was being visited by the ghost of Paul Walker (always referring to the late-actor by his character’s name, Brian). Second, that the apparition “still owed him a 10-second car” (a scenario included in the franchise’s original film).
Upon hearing that ‘Brian O’Connor’ now owned a local Toyota dealership, D’Oretto headed their in search of the NOS-equipped Toyota Supra which he felt entitled to. Upon arriving, he pulled a 12-gauge side-by-side shotgun from his trunk and began to make a scene, frightening the dealership’s customers and employees.
“We had no choice but to call the authorities who, thankfully, arrived promptly to diffuse the situation.”
Ron D’Oretto was detained by police and is now undergoing court-ordered psychiatric counseling. In addition to the ’Fast and Furious’ films he Cincinnati magistrate has also ordered that D’Oretto be prohibited from viewing movies from the ‘XXX,’ ‘Riddick’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchises as well as ‘The Pacifier.’ As of his last board review, it was reported that he was making progress and keeping himself busy building some sort of giant iron robot.
