A Maryland restaurant trying to keep business flowing during the coronavirus pandemic had a window shot out overnight.
When the first employees showed up at Galazio Restaurant in La Plata Monday morning, they found several panes of glass shot through.
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“There was glass everywhere inside, and apparently it looks like somebody shot up the restaurant,” owner Joe Gressis said.
La Plata police said it looks like someone used some sort of pellet gun. Police collected projectile fragments from a whiteboard outside the kitchen, and employees found a flattened fragment on a table at the far end of the building.
“No idea. Have no clue why somebody would want to do this,” Gressis said. “I don’t know if it’s a message or what, but it’s sad.”
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Gressis is known to help out in the Southern Maryland community. He ran out of food at a Thanksgiving food giveaway at another location last week. Police are looking at that and other possible motives.
Gressis said he has been targeted before.
“A while back, I did have somebody vandalize one of our trucks,” he said. “They sprayed ‘KKK’ on it. This was years ago.”
He said it will be business as usual as much as possible. His employees are a little shaken, but he’s still open for business.
“Going to keep on going and try to smile and try to get through this,” he said.
Police don’t have any suspects. Anyone who saw anything suspicious near Galazio Restaurant overnight should call La Plata police.
Gressis is in negotiations with La Plata officials over the tent the town told him to take down as the restaurant faces challenges amid indoor dining restrictions.
“The chamber of commerce reached out to me,” Gressis said. “They’re going to try to have a meeting with the mayor tomorrow, try to come up with a solution.”
