A West Kelowna restaurateur is throwing in the towel after two years of attacks to his business.
Luke Sumpantarat announced the closure of Thai Fusion his week, after it had been found riddled with bullet holes.
“We do this with a heavy heart and no small amount of apprehension, but the time has come, after so many attacks of vandalism, for us to make a concrete decision,” said Sumpantarat.
“Unfortunately, it is the one we hoped we would not have to make …We apologize for how abrupt this must feel and ask for your understanding, something we know you have infinite amounts of. The attacks on our restaurant have merely grown so steadily that, at this point, we cannot and will not risk the safety of our wonderful customers or staff.”
The restaurant sustained so much damage over the years that Sumpantarat recently installed a metal shield around the windows.
The latest attack showed that whoever is targeting the business had no intention of being deterred.
West Kelowna RCMP responded on June 2 at 5:11 a.m., to a commercial glass break alarm at Thai Fusion Restaurant located at 3041 Louie Drive in West Kelowna.
Officers arrived on scene within minutes of receiving the reported alarm to discover what appeared to be bullet holes in the protective metal window shutters at the front of the business.
During the early morning hours of May 28, 2017, West Kelowna RCMP responded to a similar complaint of mischief, where restaurant staff discovered damage believed to be bullet holes in the metal shutters.
Given the history at that location, where the Thai business has been the subject of five separate complaints of mischief and a break and enter to commit arson, the West Kelowna RCMP General Investigations Section (GIS) has been engaged to take lead on the file. GIS investigators are being supported by investigators with the Kelowna RCMP Forensic Identifications Section (FIS), who spent time gathering evidence from the scene.
“Both of the most recent incidents have taken place between the hours of 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, in a press release.
“RCMP believe that there would likely be a high potential for witnesses in the immediate area during this time period and ask the public to remain vigilant.”
“RCMP ask that anyone in the vicinity of the 3000 block of Louie Drive overnight, especially within the hours of 4-6 am, to report any and all suspicious activity to police immediately.”
The RCMP will continue to work closely with and ensure that the owners and staff of the business are continually updated on the progress of the still ongoing investigation.
Anyone with any information at all is asked to contact the West Kelowna RCMP General Investigations Section at 250-768-2880. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.
