SAN DIEGO - A downtown restaurant owner is concerned about the future of his business after a homeless man violently attacked one of his vendors in broad daylight.
The attack happened last week at Royal India on Market Street when a homeless man broke through a barrier on the patio and punched a vendor multiple times, the incident all caught on surveillance video.
“Things have changed,” Royal India owner Sam Kambol told NBC 7. “There is no control over homeless people. If something happens, there is no protection.
While the attacker was arrested, Kambol says the city and police aren't doing enough to manage the homeless crisis.
“There are usually proactive teams that work those areas,” said San Diego Lt. Adam Sharki. “And then we're always answering those calls for service. So as people call and report problems, we'll deal with them reactively, but we also try and deal with them proactively.”
As for the future of the restaurant which has been serving patrons in downtown for nearly 20 years, Kambol thinks the aggressive behavior of homeless people will eventually drive customers away forcing him to close up shop.
“People won't want to bring their families to San Diego if it's going to be like this," said Kambol.
The attack comes several weeks after another violent attack was caught on camera in Ocean Beach when a man was beaten by a group of homeless men.