Violent homeless man attacks Chatsworth liquor store owner

CHATSWORTH, CA (FOX 11) - For the second time in less than a year, a Chatsworth liquor store owner has had a run in with a violent or belligerent homeless person.

The latest incident happened Thursday evening at Dorose Liquor Store, when owner Jay Grewal was smashed in the face by a transient man who was a regular at the store.

Grewal said the man's name is Sam, and he became agitated when he refused to serve him his usual two beers.

"I'm like Sam, I'm asking you very nicely and respectfully, I'm telling you you can't have beer because you've already had enough and he's like no, I want my beer," Grewal said. "He started saying I'm going to beat you up, and he started saying derogatory remarks against me."

Surveillance video shows Sam harassing and shoving other customers, before he takes two hands and hits Grewal in the face while he isn't looking. Grewal then responds with a kick of his own.

"My customers see that and it hurts us as a business, people don't want to come here when they see those kinds of things," Grewal said.

LAPD later took Sat into custody and charged him with one count of misdemeanor battery.

Last September, a flower shop across the street from Grewal's store had a run in with a belligerent female transient.

She pounded on the store windows, spitting and trying to break in, after the store owner says she was doing drugs in front of her bounding.

Later that night, that same woman came to Grewal's liquor store, and once again acted belligerent until he kicked her out.

"She came here and she was yelling rape, rape and other racist things, go back to your country, no high, no nothing, she didn't want anything," Grewal said. "Just came here, started yelling, you did this to me, you're a rapist you're a terrorist and all these things, and I'm just trying to protect my business."

Grewal says the homeless are becoming more violent, and more brazen, and he and other business owners are left feeling helpless.

"We're like sitting ducks right now, we can't do nothing, we just have to wait on whoever is running the city and in charge of all this and see what they do," he said.