The owner of a bakery in Carson, California, is cleaning up the mess caused by a transient woman who broke into his store and caused extensive damage.
Matthew Valentine, owner of Sweet Valentine on Avalon Boulevard, told KTLA’s Angeli Kakade that he arrived around 6 a.m. Friday to find the woman inside the store, partially clothed.
“She was just pulling everything out and destroying things,” Valentine said in a video posted to social media that showed products, furniture and decorations scattered across the floor.
Valentine called the police, who arrived and took the woman into custody outside the store a short time later. Cellphone video shows an officer placing her in handcuffs as she wore only a sweatshirt.
Valentine said this was the second time his bakery had been vandalized in the past 10 months.
“It was gut-wrenching to see. This is my pride and joy,” he said. “This is a lifelong dream accomplished for me. It seems like every time we try to take a step forward, we get pushed back.”
Members of the community arrived later in the morning to help Valentine clean up. He planned to reopen Friday afternoon with a limited menu.
