By WILLIAM COLE
Grocery store owner Gilles DeSaulniers, 67, has twice been bitten by a homeless person at his shop. The shopkeeper is now considering closing the San Francisco store because of damage and theft caused by rough sleepers.
A San Francisco shop owner who has been bitten by a homeless man for the second in time in months says he will close his store rather than put up with the ‘nuisance’.
Gilles DeSaulniers, 67, said he was trying to subdue a homeless man who had pushed his sister after she tried to eject him for the second time that day from their South of Market store.
But while holding onto him, the man ‘twisted his head’ and bit the shopkeeper’s arm in an attempt to escape.
Police later arrested 29-year-old Adam Aschebrock for aggravated assault and battery.
‘It’s just not worth it. Yeah, you know, we pay taxes to the city. The police can’t do anything. The laws have changed,’ Mr DeSaulniers told ABC 7.
It was the second time be had been bitten by a homeless person in four months, and says homelessness and drug addiction in the area are fueling an increase in violence and crime.
Police later arrested 29-year-old Adam Aschebrock for aggravated assault and battery
Surveillance video from last week shows a clerk running after a shoplifter who DeSaulniers says pepper-sprayed his employee.
The suspect was arrested not long after police arrived.
‘They create a lot of garbage. There is feces on the sidewalk. They’ll p*** on the back door. It smells, it’s a public health nuisance,’ said DeSaulniers.
‘The public health department wants us to keep everything nice, but when you walk outside the door, it’s like the plague all over again.’
The shop owner, who runs Harvest Urban Market, has taken pictures of homeless encampments near to his business and says his back door needs to be replaced because it’s rusted from being urinated on.
There is also a homeless shelter called Sanctuary directly opposite his store.
‘About every half hour to hour, we have some kind of incident — other theft, violence, crazy people walking around people who need mental health,’ he said.
Mayor London Breed responded to questions from several newspapers regarding the incident.
‘I would say to people who have had enough to just hold on. We’re working toward solving the issue. It will take some time but we ask for patience.’
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