LA community rallies around taco vendor whose rig was vandalized by food truck competitor
WHITTIER, Calif. – A Los Angeles-area food truck operator is facing vandalism charges after confronting a competitor Thursday night in an impromptu turf war caught on surveillance video.
Police confirmed to KCAL that a man has been charged with felony vandalism for attempting to destroy a new competitor’s setup, first dousing the operators’ food with water before spraying their cooking fires with a fire extinguisher.
Authorities confirmed to KABC-TV that the assailant was arrested at his home thanks to the viral video and tips from community members. No injuries resulted from the Thursday altercation.
Meanwhile, the community rallied support for area food vendors, turning out in droves Saturday night to prove that Thursday’s altercation would not prevent area residents from embracing competing entrepreneurs. And Tacos La Guera, the focus of Thursday’s attack, became the epicenter of Saturday’s food truck frenzy.
“We all are disgusted by what happened. So, we just came to represent, tell them we got your back,” Whittier resident Rocky Padilla told KCAL.
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Meanwhile, Whittier resident and former food truck operator Bryant Sciono told the TV station that the aggressor’s attack only strengthened the community’s support for the plight of Tacos La Guera and other competitors.
“For another food vendor to do something like that, it’s absurd and it’s disrespectful. I had to come support because even though we’re getting our first restaurant, I can’t forget where we came from,” Sciono told KCAL.
Tacos la Guera owner Rocio Gascón told KABC-TV that they scouted the Whittier area for a week before setting up for business after no other vendors used the spot, one which they have used before, at Mulberry Drive and Mills Avenue.
