DOWNTOWN (KGTV) — Business owners near 5th Avenue and C Street in downtown San Diego say drug use, homelessness, and vandalism have become rampant at a busy intersection where businesses and trolley transit converge.
A video sent to ABC 10News by Sanzco Cafe shows a person with a golf club smashing the cafe's sign and then walking away as if nothing happened.
The general manager of ZZAN, who asked not to be identified, said one of his employees was physically attacked inside the restaurant.
"Somebody came in and, uh, physically attacked one of my employees, threw soy sauces around the, uh, the, the premises, and then on top of that she, uh, started throwing stuff at our customers as well," the general manager said.
He said the restaurant has been having issues with some of the downtown homeless population since they opened 2 and a half years ago.
"After dark, we don't, I, I can't guarantee the safety for everybody, and that concerns me," he said.
This is not the first time ABC 10News has been told about problems in the downtown area. In June, we spoke with Robyn Spencer, the owner of East Village Tavern and Bowl.
"They're tired of walking over needles and defecation, watching people have their meltdowns," Spencer said.
In March, we received an email from a viewer who described the 5th Avenue trolley area as a "zombie apocalypse," with people doing drugs in the open. When I first checked out the area myself, I spotted three people surrounding what appeared to be a drug pipe in the middle of the day.
City data shows that, so far this year, there have been 390 arrests in the 900-1000 block of the area — including 68 for possession of a controlled substance, 71 for drug paraphernalia, and 42 for loitering related to illegal drug activity. At the 500 to 600 block of C Street, there have been 194 arrests or citations since January 2025.
"This place is beautiful, but situations like this make it not feel beautiful and makes people feel unsafe more than anything," the ZZAN general manager said.
San Diego Neighborhood Policing Division Capt. Steve Shebloski acknowledged the challenges the area presents for law enforcement.
"Making those areas safe and clean is one of our top priorities, but it is one of our most difficult areas just to conduct enforcement," Shebloski said.
Shebloski said the area is particularly challenging because people are constantly getting on and off the trolley. The department has made around 75 arrests in the area this year, with the majority related to drugs.
"We do do operations with MTS um just to make sure that the trolleys are safe," Shebloski said.
Shebloski described how officers handle drug-related detentions.
"The officers impound the drugs, they document what occurred. It is a detention and then we take them there," Shebloski said.
Shebloski said the department will be increasing patrols in the area.
"We do enough here to serve our community that we deserve at least a little bit of attention to get us help here," the ZZAN general manager said.
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