VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - A vandal's path of destruction at a new, family-owned North County has left the owners wondering why they were targeted.
Early Sunday morning, along Main Street in Vista, cellphone video shows law enforcement on a loudspeaker, preparing to enter Mexico Viejo restaurant.
Turns out, the suspect was no longer inside. Hours later, a messy scene greeted co-owner Alfonso Morales.
“Just sad. What did I do to get this?” asked Morales.
The sadness came a month after so much excitement.
“Everybody has a dream to start a business or do something,” said Morales.
Morales and his brother saw their decade-old dream fulfilled as they opened the restaurant. It’s a dream now marred by vandalism.
It's believed a front window was the entry point into the restaurant. The vandal likely took a patio chair and used it to shatter the glass.
Inside was a mess of damage: broken chairs, tables, and a coffeemaker, along with a smashed television.
The vandalism forced Morales to shut down the restaurant. The unused food, along with all the damage, totaling $20,000 to $25,000 in losses.
“It hurts, and it's gone. What can we do?” said Morales.
Amid all the damage, there was something strange. The cash register system had been slammed to the ground. Hundreds of dollars should have been there for the taking, but not a dime was stolen.
“Kind of sketchy … Why they didn't take the money?” said Morales.
Morales is now left wondering what other motive may have fueled the vandalism.
‘Does someone hate me?” said Morales.
He says he’s had no bad encounters with customers since the opening.
Despite the questions, after five days on Friday afternoon, the restaurant reopened.
“It won’t get me down. More power to go on,” said Morales.
Morales was preparing to install an alarm and camera system when the incident happened.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Vista Sheriff's Station at (760) 940-4551 or email Detective Jillian Bosman at Jillian.Bosman@sdsheriff.org.
