Man arrested after breaking into Hermosa Beach restaurant and causing $100k in damages, owners say

A man was arrested for allegedly throwing a chair through the window of a restaurant in Hermosa Beach early Wednesday morning before ransacking the inside and causing approximately $100,000 worth of damage, according to business owners. 

Police were called to Playa Hermosa Fish & Oyster Co., located at 19 Pier Avenue, at around 1:45 a.m. after learning of the alleged break-in, according to Hermosa Beach Police Department officers. 

When they arrived, they found the alleged suspect, only identified as a man in his 50s, inside. They say that he tried to get away, but was quickly taken into custody for burglary and resisting arrest. 

"There was somebody out on the pier that did see him starting to destroy some stuff on the patio," said co-owner Lisa Hemmat. "He did catch him on video. He's the one that called the police. We did kinda see, like, walking into it, that it was all destruction."

Police say that there was a significant amount of damage inside the restaurant, but did not know exactly how much the estimated total of the damage was. They further noted that the suspect is possibly homeless and that he may be linked to other similar incidents in the area, including a dine-and-dash situation at Playa Hermosa.

"It's so disturbing to know that they knew this, and that they haven't done anything about it," Hemmat said. "I hope that they do not let this guy out."

Hemmat said that due to the extensive repairs that will need to be made, they won't reopen until Friday at the earliest. 

"It's very scary knowing that there's somebody like this, so vicious and evil, to come in and just destroy," Hemmat said. "It's pretty devastating. It's invasive. ... It just makes it hard to come out and be trusting of anybody anymore."

Surveillance camera footage shows the moments when the man was inside the business, tossing chairs around. He was also seen drinking from liquor bottles before throwing them, eventually causing one of the bar's shelves to shatter and multiple glass bottles to break. Other footage from outside the restaurant shows the man bending the standup heaters and throwing more chairs.

"The guy came in, pounded alcohol and then just smashed up our bar. We had a mirrored, beautiful bar with a glass shelving," Hemmat said. "He just destroyed everything."