Video shows vandal trashing two North County restaurants

ENCINITAS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Early Monday morning, two North County restaurants were vandalized and burglarized, setting both local hubs back thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen property and damages.

FOX 5 and KUSI obtained surveillance video at both Union Kitchen and Tap Encinitas along with Trattoria I Trulli, detailing the destruction of shattered windows, tables, chairs and the loss of equipment far beyond repair.

The assailant defaced Trattoria I Trulli specifically with graffiti stating “merchant of death” before being apprehended by law enforcement.

As of Tuesday, both businesses are back up and running, and with it has come tremendous community support on a usually slow Tuesday evening. However, the violating act lingers into the week as both are short thousands to resurrect these staples.

Eric Stephenson is the manager at Union Kitchen and Tap in Encinitas, he says the damage Monday morning was like that of a rage room.

“Destroying bottles, chairs, furniture, all our POS equipment everything,” Stephenson recalled when detailing the vandal’s action in the video.

For a place usually known for a glass of beer, some grub, and a hub for locals like Nick Sciandra, the news was shocking.

“A few of the coworkers let me know what was happening and I was like, ‘woah that doesn’t sound like our town that we live in,'” Sciandra said.

Then, after two hours spent vandalizing Union Kitchen, Trattoria I Trulli, just down the way, also fell victim.

The restaurant’s surveillance video shows the same vandal smashing several wine bottles on the kitchen floor. He also defaced the front glass window writing “merchant of death” scribbled in red.

“We couldn’t understand how we are so unprotected right now,” Polly Braconi shared when recalling the news. “He made sure to break all of those wines and break things with the wine bottles like the computers.”

According to the small mom and pop of 24 years, the restaurant is left with thousands of dollars’ worth of damages.

The same goes for Union Kitchen and Tap. Its management tells us they’re short $30,000 in repairs and counting.

Tuesday, both restaurants are up and running, and along with it, locals showing up in support.

“There are people that are rallying around it and understand that we do have a community here and it’s a tight little nice community,” Sciandra said.

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