Surveillance video showed a shirtless man assaulting a store owner outside a downtown store.
AUSTIN, Texas — George Scaliano said his grocery store in downtown Austin has been caught up in a horrific cycle of crime.
Earlier this month, surveillance footage captured the alleged attack outside the Royal Blue grocery store on Congress Avenue.
The video shows Mr Scaliano approaching the man who pulled out the chair, and he said he asked him if he was a customer, who then became angry.
“He tried to spit on me and physically challenged me,” Scaliano said.
The situation escalated as Scaliano tried to get the man to leave and a small crowd formed, with several people trying to pull the man away from Scaliano.
“He turned around and attacked me and headbutted me and I tackled him and held him down,” Scaliano said.
Austin Police responded and announced that George Martin Jr. was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault with bodily injury and criminal trespass. Martin Jr. remains in the Travis County Jail.
Scaliano said he was injured as a result of the assault, but unfortunately, this is just another crime to add to the long list of troubles the store has faced.
Scaliano and Craig Staley own seven Royal Blue grocery stores scattered throughout downtown Austin. KVUE interviewed Staley in July after a string of thefts by a repeat offender. Scaliano said he and Staley have been trying to bring attention to the problem and get help from the city.
“The solution is for us all to work together towards a common goal.” [We’ve] “We’ve been working hard on this for years, and morale is low,” Scaliano said.
Scaliano said he has reached out to Rep. Zo Kadri multiple times to address the issue. KVUE reached out to Kadri’s office on Wednesday but did not hear back.
Scaliano said he’s asked for increased security because all of his stores are “under attack.” Austin police are helping out as much as they can, but Scaliano said he doesn’t have the funds to hire a private security team.
The Downtown Austin Alliance has safety ambassadors who patrol the area, but they’re there to keep people safe — they’re not a replacement for police — and therefore aren’t equipped to deal with incidents like the one Scaliano faced.
“It couldn’t be harder for us to be in business,” Scaliano said. “We can’t afford to have our entire company lose money because of shoplifting, because of employee turnover, because of violence in our stores.”
Scaliano said he will continue to request support from the city so he can continue serving Austin.
“We’re not quitting,” Scaliano said. “We’re not selling, and we love what we do, so we’re going to do everything we can to stay here. We need help.”
