Family of Slain Customer Sues Carwash, Cites Lax Security
The owner of a self-serve carwash where a local businessman was gunned down last December should have taken security more seriously, the family of the slain customer has alleged in a wrongful death lawsuit that was filed Monday.
Proprietors of the Zip-In Car Wash, located at North New Braunfels Avenue and Gibbs Street on San Antonio’s East Side, were well aware they operated in a high-crime area, the suit states.
Six assaults occurred on the premises in the two years leading up to the still-unsolved murder of Faustino Alonso, 59, in what appears to have been a botched robbery, civil attorney Marynell Maloney said Monday during a press conference to announce the litigation.
In addition, court documents state, the immediate vicinity had seen five murders, 28 robberies, 25 aggravated robberies, 87 assaults, 21 aggravated assaults, three kidnappings, nine sexual assaults, nine aggravated sexual assaults and 23 deadly conduct allegations during that same two-year time period.
“Crime in the surrounding area was well publicized,” the suit states.
The business acted with negligence by not installing security cameras, adequate lighting, signs warning customers of the dangerousness of the area or other measures to thwart violence, Maloney said.
Leonard Michael Hoyle, who owns multiple Zip-In locations in San Antonio, declined to comment Monday. He has not yet had an opportunity to file court documents refuting the allegations.
Alonso had operated his own business, Tino’s Transmission Services, to the East Side for two years prior to his death and for years before that on the city’s North Side. He was shot four times in a self-service stall next to his truck at about 9:40 p.m. on a Friday night, according to authorities.
The family is still desperate to find his killer, their attorney said.
Maloney declined to discuss a monetary amount the family is seeking but said one goal is that the car wash and others will improve security measures as a result.