Search on for driver seen plowing into historic Stockton restaurant: "This is my dad's whole life"
STOCKTON - The search is on for the driver who plowed into a historic Stockton restaurant. The crash happened at El Rancho Inn Steak and Lobster just after midnight on Monday morning.
"This is my dad's whole life, so it's devastating to see the restaurant like this," said the daughter of owner Ray Lacondeguy, Cassandra Lacondeguy.
The speeding truck that crashed through the bar of the restaurant was caught on surveillance camera. After the driver of the pick-up plowed into the place, he is caught on camera running from the rubble.
The restaurant that has been a staple in Stockton since 1939 was boarded up on Tuesday, shattering the memories so many have shared inside.
"I would be in a swing and my dad would cook and my mom would bus tables, so I spent my whole life here at the El Rancho," said Cassandra.
Cassandra's 77-year-old father, Ray, has owned the restaurant for nearly 40 years.
No one was inside when the car lost control, but Cassandra said speeding on this street was nothing new.
"My grandma actually got hit by a car as she was pulling out and it led to her passing," said Cassandra.
The restaurant is located on Mariposa Road near where turning traffic yields to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. There is a stop light for traffic on MLK, but only yield signs for turning vehicles.
The history written on the walls of the restaurant is now caught up in the wreckage.
When they first arrived at the restaurant after the crash, they weren't just met with all the debris, but it also caused damage to the sinks behind the bar, causing the entire place to flood.
"This is how people are supporting their entire family's working here," said Cassandra.
One of the managers said that they have a total of 11 employees who are now out of work until the repairs are made.
It is a tight-knit staff. Cassandra said that after closing each night, the crew sits at the bar to eat dinner together, but the crash happened on a night they were closed.
"We're just lucky it wasn't on a Saturday night and we were closing and they were sitting at the bar," said Cassandra. "They would have been here."
Confused customers were turned away at the door on Tuesday, but there was still no timeline as to when the restaurant will be back in business.
"This is my home. This is my dad's home," said Cassandra. "It's really hard to see this happened."
They filed a claim with insurance on Tuesday, so they still don't know how much it will cost to repair. The plan is to safely reopen as soon as possible.
"It was just shocking to see someone have just so much disregard for the damage they caused," Cassandra said.
Police later identified the driver and forwarded charges to the district attorney's office.
If you know anything about this hit-and-run crash, contact the Stockton Police Department.
