Albuquerque business owner says customers don't feel safe with surging crime: I 'struggle to pay bills'
Owner of Diaz Kitchen & Sushi Bar Manuel Diaz joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss how crime has impacted his customers and his company's bottom line.
A New Mexico business owner is sounding the alarm on how violent crime in his city is impacting customers and hurting his bottom line.
"It's almost two years in business… even then I struggle to pay bills," Diaz Kitchen & Sushi Bar owner Manuel Diaz told "Fox & Friends First" Thursday. "The majority of my feedback is like for safety. They [customers] don't feel safe."
The downtown Albuquerque area has become a hotbed for violence in recent weeks – an unwelcome trend for businesses in the area.
Two teens are in custody following separate shooting incidents on Saturday night, one inside the Coronado Mall and one downtown.
Last month, bodycam footage showed Alburquerque police officers pursuing a suspected shoplifter on horseback.
"After COVID, it's kind of tough for new business… the crime is pretty much in [the] nighttime and mostly on the weekends with all the nightclubs. You see their videos, like, you know, people going out and getting drunk and stupid," Diaz said.
The Albuquerque Police Department published video of the March 20 horseback incident on Facebook last week. In a post, the department explained that its mounted unit was nearby when its officers heard a commotion about a recent robbery.
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Suspect Mark Chacon, 30, allegedly stole $230 worth of merchandise from a Walgreens location. He was later charged with eluding/evading police on foot, shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The suspect eventually relented and was placed in handcuffs.
Diaz's restaurant has been the target of violent crime several times. Last year, his windows were smashed on three separate occasions.
"For my customers, feedback is more like it's hard to go in downtown," Dias said.
The restaurateur said he had also heard concerns from female customers who "don't feel safe" venturing out due to the crime.
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"We are committed to working on Central [Ave.], committed to arresting drug dealers, committed to making sure we can do everything we can to take firearms off Central," Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said on March 26.
Fox News' Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
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