Over the weekend, a man smashed the windows of the Bixby Knolls Corked liquor store just one day after a customer allegedly struck the owner with a bottle during an altercation.
An investigation is underway to find the suspect or suspects responsible for the alleged attack and later vandalism, a spokesperson from the Long Beach Police Department said in an email.
On Friday, an adult male suspect reportedly entered Corked on Atlantic Avenue and got into a verbal dispute about his parked vehicle with the business owner, police said.
The dispute escalated when the suspect struck a store employee. All three individuals then got into an altercation, police said.
During the altercation, the suspect allegedly struck the business owner in the upper body with a nearby bottle.
A relative of the business owner was present at the time, and sprayed the suspect with pepper spray. The suspect then fled the area in a vehicle before police arrived at approximately 2:43 p.m., police said.
Personnel from the Long Beach Fire Department arrived at the scene and treated the victims for non-life threatening injuries.
The next day, at around 7:12 a.m., officers responded to Corked for a reported incident of vandalism. When they arrived, police reportedly saw that the business’s front windows had been shattered.
Through a preliminary investigation, police determined that an unknown male suspect approached the closed business and smashed the windows with an object before fleeing the area on foot.
Police said the investigation into both crimes is ongoing and detectives are actively working to uncover whether the two crimes are connected.
The owner of Corked was not immediately available for comment.
The Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association made a post on Instagram on Monday asking people to support Corked by stopping by and buying drinks.
“This family left Syria to pursue a quiet life and the American dream by starting a business and we do not want to see this happen to anyone, personally and/or to their livelihood,” the Instagram post reads. “Corked is a beautiful, well-maintained business in our district that has lots to offer.”
Corked is located at 4100 Atlantic Ave., and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday.
