It was around 2 a.m. Sunday, when Maddox McKown got a call no business owner ever wants to receive.
“I was like, ‘okay, so someone might be breaking into Bruno’s,’ so let me get dressed,” said McKown, the owner of Bruno’s Place.
But the reality was even worse. A truck had smashed through the front of his business, destroying much of the inside.
“I am dumbfounded. I’m like, ‘is this real?'” McKown said.
Since 2017, Bruno’s Place has served as a neighborhood hub, a budget-friendly spot where Oak Cliff neighbors can bathe their dogs. The business also offers low-cost vaccinations, a microchip scanner for stray pets and even free pet food giveaways.
“Anything we can do for the community, we absolutely will,” McKown said.
For a business built on helping others, seeing the destruction was especially tough.
“There was glass everywhere,” he said.
Just moments after the crash, a customer at a nearby Jack in the Box started recording, realizing the driver had no intention of sticking around. That video would prove essential to the police.
“Then they started to leave, and I was like, ‘what the heck are you doing?'” said Martin Seas, the man behind the camera.
“My heart started going. I just wanted to catch who they were,” Seas said. “The last thing I want is for this to happen, and then they’re stuck dealing with it. I’m just glad I could help in some way.”
Thanks to his quick thinking and clear footage of the license plate, police arrested 55-year-old Joseph Villarreal for driving while intoxicated.
“All right, how do we move forward? What’s the first step? Because not only for me, but for this community, we do serve a purpose,” McKown said.
He said he’s already working with insurance to cover the damages but expects Bruno’s Place will be closed for at least a month. He’s just grateful no one was seriously hurt.
“We can focus on the negative, or we can focus on the glimmers. And I think we’ve learned, even in the bad, we can absolutely lean on community,” McKown said.
