Man arrested after unprovoked attack of Lama Beans owner
A customer had bought the man a burger, Berkeley police said, after he asked diners at Lama Beans to provide food for himself and his pet rabbit.
A homeless man attacked a restaurant owner in Berkeley over the weekend after his food — which a diner bought for him — took too long to prepare, authorities report.
A customer had bought the man a burger, Berkeley police said, after he asked diners at Lama Beans to provide food for himself and his pet rabbit.
The incident began at 6:40 p.m. Saturday at the popular Berkeley restaurant, which is located at 1290 Sixth St. at Gilman Street.
While the food was still being cooked, police said, the man went inside asking for it. But it wasn't ready.
The man then launched into an unprovoked attack on the restaurant owner, authorities said, punching him in the face repeatedly and leaving him bleeding due to lacerations around his eye.
A diner told The Berkeley Scanner that the assailant "used racist language" and "threatened to come back to the place of business and hurt them." He also said, "Go back to your country, this is my country."
The man then fled the scene with his rabbits but police saw him jumping a fence into an alleyway.
Officers then arrested him without incident and he was identified as the assailant by multiple witnesses.
Rafael Reyna. BPD
Police identified the man as 32-year-old Rafael Reyna and arrested him on suspicion of felony battery causing serious bodily injury.
The restaurant owner was taken to the hospital and was expected to need stitches, Berkeley police said.
A video of Reyna went viral on Instagram earlier this month when he was recorded riding BART with what appeared to be several pet chickens.
As of Monday, he remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail where he was being held with a bail of $50,000.
Reyna is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday at Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
Note: We added several details about the incident shared after publication by a restaurant patron.
