Restaurant worker in downtown LA brutally attacked by customer over food order delay

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A restaurant worker in downtown Los Angeles is speaking out after he was brutally attacked by a customer over a food order, saying he hopes police find the man before he strikes again.

The incident happened on Monday at the Wokcano restaurant on 7th and Flower streets. Kevin Oxlaj, who works as a busser and host, said the customer became upset because his food was taking too long to come out. The man then began yelling at Oxlaj's co-worker, who's pregnant.

"We did tell him that we apologize," said Oxlaj. "We did tell him we are sorry that it took forever."

"I told him, 'Please don't scream at my co-worker. She's pregnant. She can't be going through all this stress, please show some respect,'" he recalled.

When Oxlaj asked the customer to stop, the man began beating him in the head.

The attack was captured on surveillance video, which shows the man repeatedly punching Oxlaj after backing him into a corner.

"I felt the rest of the swings," said Oxlaj. "A customer ended up getting out of his table, ran out out of his seat and was able to push him out, but as he was pushing him away from me, the guy had me, like, still by the arm ... didn't want to let me go."

Since then, the customer has returned to the restaurant at least four times, looking for Oxlaj and asking about his whereabouts, according to Oxlaj's mother, Isabel Hernández.

"I want him to be arrested because if he did it today, chances are he will go somewhere else to do the same thing," said Hernández.

The mother said she couldn't stand to watch the video, saying she's especially worried about any injuries that may damage a tube inside Oxlaj that drains excess fluid from his brain. She pointed out the bruising in her son's ear and around his face, saying he was hit right where the tube is located.

"That was the most terrifying thing for me was that he would have gotten me here and I would have been dead," said Oxlaj. "I didn't want that."

Eyewitness News reached out to the restaurant for comment late Wednesday afternoon but has not heard back. Oxlaj said his employer told him they would pay for his time off and medical bills.

"I can't sleep correctly because my whole chest, my whole back hurts," said Oxlaj. "Honestly, I'm terrified to step foot around downtown L.A. now due to the fact that he did tell my co-workers, 'Oh, I'm going to be looking for him.'"

"I didn't want it to end this way because it was just over an order of food that took forever."

Meanwhile, the suspect remains at large and has not yet been identified.

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the incident and is asking anyone with information to call authorities.