Austin grocery store attacked amid concerns about downtown crime

AUSTIN, Texas – George Scariano said his downtown Austin grocery store is caught up in a horrific cycle of crime.

Earlier this month, surveillance video captured an apparent assault that took place outside the Royal Blue Grocery on Congress Avenue.

It shows Scariano approaching a man after the man pulled up a chair. Scariano said he asked the man if he was a customer and that's when he lost his temper.

“He tried to spit on me and physically challenged me,” Scariano said.

The situation escalated when Scariano said he tried to get him to leave, at which point a small crowd formed and several people tried to pull the man away from Scariano.

“He turned around, attacked me, headbutted me, and I tackled him to the ground and we held him down,” Scariano said.

Austin police responded and said George Martin Jr. was arrested and charged with assault and trespassing. Martin Jr. remains in the Travis County Jail.

Scariano said he suffered injuries in the alleged attack, but unfortunately this represents another crime that adds to the long list of problems the store was already facing.

Scariano and Craig Staley operate seven Royal Blue Groceries in downtown Austin. In July, KVUE interviewed Staley after a repeat offender committed a series of burglaries. Scariano said he and Staley tried to bring the issue to the forefront and get help from the city.

“The solution must be for all of us to work together to achieve a common goal.” [We’ve] “I have worked hard on this for years and it is demoralizing,” Scariano said.

Scariano said he has reached out to Council Member Zo Qadri multiple times to address the issues. KVUE reached out to Qadri's office on Wednesday but received no response.

Scariano said all of his businesses are “under attack” and they want more security. Scariano said Austin police are helping where they can, but they don't have the money for a private security team.

The Downtown Austin Alliance has safety ambassadors who patrol the area, but the ambassadors are there to provide safety and are not a replacement for police, so they are not equipped to handle incidents like the one Scariano faced.

“It shouldn't be this difficult for us to do business,” Scariano said. “We can't afford the losses we're suffering companywide from shoplifting, employee turnover and the violence in our stores.”

Scariano said he will continue to advocate for the city's help so he can continue to serve the city of Austin.

“We're not giving up,” Scariano said. “We're not selling and we love what we do. So we're staying here as best we can, and we need help.”