Big Bite Pizza shop targeted, windows smashed ahead of opening next month
A father-of-four already reeling from the closure of his cafe is baffled after two suspects were caught on CCTV breaking the windows of his new pizza shop.
SA News
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A southern suburbs father-of-four has been left “deflated” after two people smashed the windows of his business, leaving thousands of dollars worth of damage, weeks before it was scheduled to reopen.
Big Bite Pizza (formerly Lowrider Cafe) owner Matthew Hill, 43, said the suspects were captured on CCTV between 4am and 5am on Sunday hurling a rock at the store’s windows.
“Nobody heard anything, but it was quite loud, so it’s quite strange,” Mr Hill said, adding he had no idea of the suspects’ identity.
The impact of the incident left visible cracks through the glass and a hefty damage bill for Mr Hill.
“There was security glass, so they didn’t shatter but that’s probably $1500 per window,” he said.
“We’re in the middle of trying to build a pizza shop, now I don’t know how long it’s going to be to get it fixed.”
Last week, Mr Hill said overwhelming business costs from running Lowrider Cafe saw him “$2000 behind every single week”.
Less than a year after opening, he closed the cafe and launched the retro-inspired pizzeria offering dine-in and takeaway options.
Before Sunday’s incident, Mr Hill was excited and “feeling good” about launching the business, on States Rd, Morphett Vale, on February 10.
Now he’s concerned “what the community might think” about the visible damage to the store ahead of the opening day.
“When you walk around the corner, there’s shattered glass,” he said.
“Things are already tight from last year, now I’m going to have to do extra levels of security, like putting roller shutters in the back.”
Mr Hill said he’s receiving support from loved ones, but was feeling deflated after challenging situations.
“I had a really tough year last year and I was on a real high when everything was working, but then this happened so it really sucks,” he said.
“Everyone is helping me, but things like this make you feel deflated because it’s just another hit, and I’ve had so many hits. I’m just a guy trying to make a dream happen.”
Police on Monday afternoon said they had arrested and charged a 17-year-old boy from Adelaide’s western suburbs after an investigation.
They said after the incident, the teenager met up with another person known to him and allegedly deliberately crashed his car into the other person’s car, causing extensive damage.
The alleged victim suffered minor injuries to his leg and hand.
The teenager was charged with property damage and acts to cause serious harm. He was granted bail to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court at a later date.
Police said they believed the incidents were not random and investigations were ongoing into the second suspect.
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