The owner of Roy’s Station Coffee and Tea in San Jose’s Japantown was violently attacked with a metal torch by a man who allegedly rode an e-bike onto the business’s property.
Jasmine Rast, co-owner of the family-run establishment, confronted the man early Tuesday morning as she was unloading her car. Rast told NBC Bay Area that she informed the individual it was private property, prompting him to attack her. Surveillance video shows the man chasing Rast through the driveway. She reported that the first blow landed on the back of her head, and she attempted to defend herself with a metal water bottle.
Her family members, including her brother and father, heard her screams and came to her aid. The family contacted the police, who subsequently apprehended the suspect and booked him into jail.
Rast’s family stated that the business has served the community for generations and that her father had also been assaulted in Japantown a few years prior. According to NBC Bay Area, police informed the family that the man arrested on Tuesday had been released from custody just 10 days earlier.
The office of Mayor Matt Mahan has been in contact with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office regarding the incident. Mahan issued a statement expressing concern over repeat offenders cycling through the justice system without adequate intervention. He emphasized the need for state and county leaders to fully implement Proposition 36, ensuring that repeat offenders face accountability through treatment or incarceration.
Rast sustained injuries to her head and arm from the assault. Images show a bruise on her arm and a depiction of her scalp injury. The coffee shop, Roy's Station Coffee & Tea, is located on Jackson Street in San Jose’s Japantown.