Woman who rammed SUV into Canoga Park taco restaurant is former employee, owner's family says

CANOGA PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A woman who police say intentionally smashed her car into a taco restaurant in Canoga Park is a former employee, according to the owner's family.

The rampage happened around 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tacos Reyes restaurant near Saticoy Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Bystander video showed the car repeatedly backing up and going forward, destroying everything inside the business. Police told Eyewitness News that officers saw the woman continuously backing into the building and saw her ram into it.

According to the owner's daughter Antonia Reyes, the woman previously worked at the restaurant, though it's unclear why she's no longer an employee.

"Even when she left four years ago, it wasn't on bad terms. It was on really good terms," said Reyes. "Her mom still works with us. She's been working with us ... maybe 8+ years. So, we do have so much love for the family. This is an unfortunate situation that happened and our heart breaks to her."

The woman, who was not immediately identified, was previously arrested for vandalizing one of the restaurant's catering trucks, according to police.

Bailey Thompson was working next door at a bar and quickly realized the danger of what was happening. She rushed to tell her customers and co-workers to get out.

"She just was reversing and slamming into all the different walls," Thompson said. "So we share a wall with them, so she started slamming into our wall."

People flagged down police officers on patrol in the area. They surrounded the woman and then fired non-lethal rounds before taking her into custody. She's now facing felony vandalism charges.

No injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.

The restaurant will be closed until further notice as crews continue their clean-up efforts.