Diner Brutally Attacks Busboy Who Stood Up For Pregnant Waitress

LOS ANGELES, CA — A diner unhappy with the service he received from a pregnant waitress at a Downtown Los Angeles restaurant attacked an employee who stood up for the waitress, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Authorities are now asking for help identifying the man. The Los Angeles Police Department circulated surveillance footage of the suspect wanted in connection with the Monday afternoon attack.

It happened shortly after 1 p.m. at the Wokcano restaurant in the 800 block of West 7th Street. The suspect was upset because he felt he had to wait too long for his meal, according to police.

"The suspect was harassing a pregnant female employee, at which point a male employee intervened and advised the suspect to not harass the female employee," LAPD officials said in a written statement. "The suspect proceeded to confront the male employee and assaulted him, punching the male employee numerous times causing minor injuries."

The attack was captured on video, which shows the customer repeatedly punching the employee in the head.

Wokcano busser Kevin Oxlaj told ABC7 Eyewitness News he intervened to stop the man from harassing his co-worker.

"We did tell him that we apologize," said Oxlaj. "We did tell him we are sorry that it took forever."
"I told him, 'Please don't scream at my co-worker. She's pregnant. She can't be going through all this stress, please show some respect.'"

That's when the attack occurred. A customer pulled the attacker off of Oxlaj, and the man eventually left. However, he's returned several times since to look for Oxlaj, his mother, Isabel Hernández told ABC7. Now Oxlaj said he's afraid to return to the area around his work.

The suspect is described as a 25 to 30-years-old, with black hair, brown eyes, and a mustache. He stands six feet tall and weighs about 180-200 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ramirez, Central Area Crime Against Persons, at 213-996-1248.