El Zarape, located on Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood, had its doors shattered, chairs flipped, and TVs spray painted with graffiti, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
In addition to the damage, a safe filled with $20,000 was taken, bringing the total impact on the restaurant to $80,000.
The restaurant’s owner, Beto Mendez, told the L.A. Times that the vandalism could not have happened at a worse time, saying his ex-wife and mother of his two teenage daughters passed away just two weeks ago.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1709164091742!5m2!1sen!2sus!6m8!1m7!1sxoMgkVdJbO7lSHGKfgY1FQ!2m2!1d34.08378300544341!2d-118.3053048072933!3f235.44461!4f0!5f0.7820865974627469 allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="border:0" width="600"]Mendez has said his insurance policy will likely only cover a small portion of the cost of repairing the damage.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Medez with recovery costs.
No suspect description was released, but according to the Los Angeles Police Department, a male suspect fled the scene before police could arrive.
Detectives with the department are investigating and ask anyone with information to call the LAPD at 1-877-275-5273.
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