Horrific moment restaurant owner, 70, is attacked by dine-and-dashers refusing to pay because they didn’t like food
A GROUP of dine-and-dashers has attacked an elderly restaurant owner after he confronted them.
Sergio Alberto Vasquez owns Cheko's Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Austin, Texas, and is currently recovering from the attack.
The 70-year-old owner was coming up on the sixteenth anniversary of the restaurant's opening when the incident occurred.
On April 28, three patrons began causing a ruckus over their opinions of the food, reported local ABC news affiliate KVUE.
Vasquez had been called to the restaurant by employees who said customers were causing a problem.
When he arrived, Vasquez confronted the group of three who did not hesitate to let him know that they were grossly dissatisfied with the food so they would not be paying.
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The restaurant owner did not fight the group; he simply said "No problem," but told them to leave.
"I wanted to make sure they left so they didn't cause any more damage in the restaurant," Vasquez told the news outlet in Spanish.
This response did little to cool the group down as they became further emboldened while getting up and intentionally smashed their plates on the ground.
As the group left, Vasquez knew he should document as much as possible to bring information to the police.
"At the same time, I took out my phone so I could take photos of their license plates," he explained.
That action continued to escalate the already amped-up patrons, leading to violence.
"And when one of the guys saw me going to take a photo, he got out of the car and started hitting me," Vasquez said.
What followed was caught on surveillance video and cell phone cameras.
According to the owner, the aggressor hit his phone out of his hand, and then the pair came to blows as Vasquez had to defend himself against the assault.
When customers noticed that the elderly man was in trouble, they rushed out of the building and began fending the group off.
I appreciate them so much, that they came out to defend me because had it not been for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now talking."
Sergio Vasquez
Vasquez expressed that he truly believes that his customers saved his life.
"I appreciate them so much, that they came out to defend me because had it not been for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now talking," he said.
Despite their help, the businessman wishes that his patrons did not need to experience and then deal with the situation.
"I feel so bad over what happened – my clients who have come here for years – the ones that were here, I give them my apologies," he said.
He had gone into the situation trying to de-escalate the group's aggression, but the outcome was anything but ideal.
"It's not what I wanted," Vasquez said.
His daughter was the one who brought Vasquez's experience to the world, posting the video footage online.
"Most of the people that come here that are his customers, they don't just see him like another guy," Maria Vasquez explained.
According to his adult daughter, the businessman is a staple within the community.
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"They see him like, 'Oh, Grandpa/Dad.' Everybody goes up and hugs him. Everybody gives him love."
Although the Austin Police Department is investigating, there have been no arrests or suspect announcements.