East Hollywood Restaurant Ransacked, Vandalized And Burglarized

HOLLYWOOD, CA — An East Hollywood restaurant owner is faced with $80,000 in repairs after a burglar ransacked and vandalized his business earlier this week, according to a Gofundme setup on his behalf.

The burglar broke into El Zarape on Melrose Avenue early Monday morning. He was captured on surveillance video flipping off the cameras before spray painting over them, KTLA reported.

The Mexican restaurant's walls were left covered with graffiti, TVs were smashed, items were thrown around and the tables and chairs were all knocked over, KTLA reported.

The burglar also took the restaurant's safe and the owner's personal computer, KTLA reported.

Owner Beto Mendez told LA Taco he expects he'll need $50,000 to $80,000 to reopen the restaurant; insurance will only over up to $20,000. He told KTLA he doesn't know whether the burglary was random or targeted based on a personal vendetta.

“I came in and I saw this,” Mendez told KTLA. “All these years of hard work. It really hurts.”

The incident comes two weeks after the mother of Mendez's two daughters died, he said.

The restaurant has been open for seven years.

A Gofundme set up to help Mendez reopen the restaurant had raised just over $8,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.