MIAMI, Fla. – Surveillance video shows the moment that a foursome is turned away at the front door of a popular sandwich shop after they refused to wear masks inside the restaurant. They then left in a huff to do damage. But what they probably didn’t know is they were caught on camera.
Around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, two men and two women try to walk into Ms. Cheezious at 7418 Biscayne Boulevard not wearing masks, according to owner Brian Mullins.
“He gets all agitated and he is like, ‘We just want to come in and drink some sodas,’” Mullins said.
While the group is unable to go inside, they linger in front of the restaurant before the two men walk out of the range of the camera. Then, the camera picks up a spray of water. This is where Mullins said the two men kicked and broke open a water pipe before running away.
“You don’t want to wear a mask so you destroy our property? I can’t afford to have my property destroyed. We can barely afford to stay open,” Mullins said.
He wrote on Instagram, “We just had these guests come in and refuse to wear masks so they left and decided to kick and break the water line to our restaurant.”
The restaurant near Biscayne and Northeast 74th Street is struggling like other businesses due to shutdowns due to the pandemic.
He said that he wants to keep his restaurant open for customers and just wants everyone to follow rules that are in place because of COVID-19.
“Not the year we were looking to have. Not the lead up we were looking to have, but at the end off the day we are doing our best to keep everybody safe,” the owner said.
The broken water pipe is now an additional expense and a major setback for Mullen who is fighting to keep his doors open. He has made a temporary fix, capping the water line, but the full repair will cost him hundreds of dollars.
Mullins is hoping someone recognizes the vandals and can help police identify them. If you have any information, contact Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-8477.