Horrifying moment California coffee shop owner is violently attacked by repeat offender

Jasmine Rast, owner of Roy’s Station Coffee and Tea in San Jose’s Japantown, was allegedly attacked with a metal torch after confronting an e-bike rider on the business’s property. Her brother and father came to help after hearing her screams, and police arrested the suspect. The incident has renewed concerns about repeat offending and safety for local businesses.

Rast said she arrived at about 5.30am on Tuesday and was unloading her car when she saw the rider going through the driveway, an area where the business has faced repeated vandalism. She said the man chased and struck her several times; her family said police told them he had been arrested 10 days earlier and released. Mayor Matt Mahan said he was in contact with the county district attorney’s office and called for the full implementation of Proposition 36, which he said could mean treatment or prison for repeat offenders.