Suspect charged in alleged attack on San Francisco candy store owner
Candy store owner, employee and customer attacked at San Francisco store
A San Francisco business owner is expressing frustration after a frightening attack at her West Portal store late Wednesday afternoon. The owner of Shaw's, a candy and ice cream store, was shoved, punched in the head and pushed to the ground in a frightening attack that was caught on video.
SAN FRANCISCO - Prosecutors announced charges on Friday against the suspect in an alleged violent assault on a San Francisco candy store owner.
Parmjit Singh Janda, 39, faces four felony charges related to an assault against the owner of Shaws Candy and several others who tried to intervene, said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Janda was arraigned Friday and pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of assault with force likely to commit great bodily injury and one felony count of elder abuse.
"The senseless attack at a beloved neighborhood candy store in West Portal has left the community reeling with several people injured," said Jenkins."I am grateful to the Good Samaritan and others who intervened and were able to subdue the alleged assailant before police arrived. My office will now do everything in our power to fight for justice for the community in the courtroom."
The attack happened around 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday at Shaws Candy, which is located on the 100 block of West Portal Avenue. The owner, Diana Zogaric, was shoved, punched in the head, and pushed to the ground in the assault that was caught on video.
Prosecutors said Janda attacked Zogaric after she asked him to move from a bench in front of her business. Zogaric said she asked the man politely.
"This time he just jumped up and started lunging at me and attacked me. I just kept thinking he was going to stop. He hit a couple of times and he paused and then he came at me again and every time I thought, 'OK, I haven't fallen or anything yet. I think I'm gonna be OK.' He stopped and then he would just come again and again and again," she recalled to KTVU in a previous interview.
After attacking Zogaric, he allegedly assaulted a store employee who tried to help the owner. An 80-year-old customer was also injured in the scuffle. A fourth person was hurt when they intervened. That Good Samaritan was able to subdue Janda along with others in the neighborhood until police arrived, authorities said.