A popular Los Angeles restaurant has been forced to close after a wave of violent crimes cost them tens of thousands of dollars.
Ceviche Stop in Culver City lost about $30,000 last year alone due to increasing crime in the area.
Owner Walther Adrianzen told CBS News In the past year alone, his Peruvian restaurant has been burglarized four times, and he himself was recently violently attacked by a homeless man.
“A homeless guy broke a tequila bottle on my head,” he told the outlet.
“They almost killed me, but since I wasn’t killed, it wasn’t that big of a crime to be a crime.”
Owner Walther Adrianzen was recently injured after being attacked by a homeless man
The latest incident occurred while customers were in the restaurant and prompted the businessman to close his shop.
Adrianzen said he would like to one day continue his dream of delivering Peruvian food to Los Angeles, but that would likely be about an hour away in La Puente.
‘My wife and I will come back stronger’ Adrianzen, who grew up in Peru, said defiantly.
Cevich Stop was recently named one of the best restaurants in Culver City by Eater.
The dishes “are based on traditional Peruvian flavors and techniques such as lomo saltado and classic ceviche, plus more new interpretations such as lobster nachos,” according to the review.
The restaurant originated in a food truck serving only two dishes, run by Adrianzenand his wife Diana.
The couple opened the doors of their Culver City restaurant in 2021.
Local police data shows that the number of burglaries targeting businesses in Culver City decreased between 2022 and 2024.
However, Adrianzen said anecdotally the problem appears to have only gotten worse.
Ceviche Stop lost about $30,000 last year alone due to the rising crime toll
Ceviche Stop was recently named one of the best restaurants in Culver City by Eater
Other businesses in LA have been forced to close due to increased crime in the city.
In August, an iconic 77-year-old deli in the city teetered on the brink of closure when the street outside became overrun with homeless people and drugs.
Last month, popular Mexican restaurant Pink Taco also closed its doors on the city’s iconic Sunset Strip after twelve years.
