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Staff at Plaza Sushi’s Masonville location are calling on police and parents to act after they say a mob of teenagers vandalized the store and assaulted the owner Friday night.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m., franchise owner Minsoo Lee said, who arrived at the restaurant shortly after the confrontation and helped file a police report.
Lee said 10 teenagers were loitering outside, “goofing around”, when four girls in the group came inside and asked to use the rest room. When they took a long time to come out, and customers needed to get in, staff asked them to leave.
Lee said that’s when they became disruptive, yelling racial slurs at some of the staff. After the girls left, four boys came in and also asked to use the rest room. The staff turned them away, he said.
That’s when the group’s numbers outside grew to more than 30, Lee explained, and they began shouting and throwing garbage, cardboard and glass bottles from a nearby dumpster toward the restaurant.
When the owner went outside, the kids attacked him, punching him in the face and throwing rocks at him, Lee said, adding that a couple of staff members then tried to get the kids off of the owner. That’s when two of the teens threatened staff with knives.
The mob had run off by the time police arrived, Lee said, but staff had taken photos and the security cameras had captured footage of the incident, which were given to police.
The confrontation had ended by the time police arrived, Minsoo Lee said, and the kids had run off. (Plaza Sushi/Facebook)
CBC News did not received a response from the London Police on Sunday about whether or not they’re investigating the incident, but this story will be updated if they do provide information.
CBC News viewed a medical report that was provided to police that shows the scale of the owner’s injuries when he visited a walkin clinic after the attack. It said he was left with bruises and swelling on his face, as a result of being hit with a heavy object, and had bruises on various parts of his body.
Lee said he was so distressed, he posted photos of the incident online in hopes of making an example out of the group, and capturing the attention of their parents.
“We can’t really punish them per se,” he said. “I thought social media would be the only way that I could expose them to the community and deliver a message to their parents.”
Community support
Lee said it’s not the first time his restaurant has dealt with troublesome behaviour from young people explaining that they’ve come inside in the past, trying to make off with alcohol.
Theft and vandalism by young people is too common in the restaurant industry, he added, and owners talk about it frequently amongst themselves.
Minsoo Lee (centre) is the franchisor for the Plaza Sushi chain. He arrived at the Masonville location immediately following Friday’s incident, he said. (Submitted by Minsoo Lee)
“We’re not losing money because we can claim it on insurance, but staff don’t feel safe,” he said. “I’m going to make a scene this time.”
After making the posts on social media, Lee and the Plaza Sushi staff received an outpouring of support from community members and fellow business, he said.
He’s grateful for the messages he has received, he said, but he would also like to see the authorities crack down with a simple message to parents: “Teach your children some lessons.”
Until some serious changes take place, Lee does not want to allow teens into the restaurant at all, if they’re unaccompanied by an adult.
“People are going to be offended, if they have good intentions, he said. “But if four high school kids walk in to dine in our restaurant, I think we’re gonna kick them out. Now we can’t trust them.”