An impatient customer brutally beat a restaurant worker inside a downtown Los Angeles eatery. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News on May 22, 2024.
A restaurant worker who was brutally attacked by an impatient customer in downtown Los Angeles is in fear for his safety after the assailant threatened to return.
Kevin Oxlaj was working at the Wokcano restaurant near the intersection of Flower and 7th Streets when an angry customer who was waiting to be served demanded to speak with the manager.
“The food took forever, and we told him, ‘We do apologize about that. You're free to go without paying,’” Oxlaj said. “And then on his way out, he just started mumbling to my coworker that they're not good people. They're not people that know how to run a restaurant. That's when I told him, ‘Hey, come on man. (The manager is) pregnant. Learn how to respect.’ When I told him that, he blew it.”
Surveillance footage of the disturbing confrontation showed the customer attacking Oxlaj before another customer intervened, stopping the attack. The victim suffered physical injuries to his face and neck as well as emotional wounds.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
“I had a nightmare today in the morning that he ended up in my dream beating me up again in the same position, where I woke up screaming to my mom for help,” Oxlaj said.
The victim shared that the attacker vowed to return, making him feel a sense of unease and danger at work. At this time, no arrests have been announced in connection with the assault.
“Please, help us put him behind bars because I don’t want him doing the same thing to anyone or any other person,” the victim pleaded.
