Las Vegas diner faces costly vandalism, part of ongoing trend

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Another Las Vegas storefront has been vandalized, with its owners saying they are just the latest victim in the ongoing trend of costly crime.

Mallory Gott, the co-owner of Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner located near Charleston Boulevard and Maryland Parkway in the Downtown Arts District, said her location was just one of many in the area that had been vandalized.

“Unfortunately, the cooling unit that keeps everything together had been totally disassembled,” Gott said. “Copper pipes had been removed, the radiator had been removed and placed off to the side.”

Gott said she is familiar with the issue of chronic copper wire theft across the valley, adding that she and her husband are facing costly repairs with no time frame for completion. The diner was able to reopen Sunday but customers like Andrew Chau, who frequents the Huntridge shopping area, said he was unhappy that crime cost the diner income.

“A Saturday is a big moneymaker […] especially downtown,” Chau said. “There’s not a lot of foot traffic here.”

He admitted that the location could stand to be more secure.

“I don’t even see one camera right now looking at the exterior of the building, and I believe that the owners of the complex should be able to provide that safety for the tenants,” Chau said.

Other small businesses in the area facing vandalization include Tacotarian, Ocha Thai Cuisine, and Yukon Pizza, which is next door to Winnie & Ethel’s Downtown Diner and which suffered a shattered glass storefront in April.

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