WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Caught on camera, a man in a sweatshirt and shorts, wearing a baseball cap, carrying what could be a gasoline tank and a flashlight, arrives at the Tay Do Supermarket in West Valley just after 3 a.m. Monday.
Owner, Brenda Xa, believes they were targeted but doesn’t know why.
"Very scary because we don’t know who would do this to us," Xa said.
After the suspect surveyed the area for a while, several explosions are seen the on surveillance camera. A container surrounded by wood pallets goes up in flames. Someone walking by saw the fire and called West Valley City Fire.
Crews quickly responded and out the flames before they spread to the business.
"There was a lot of rice in there that was damaged. We had our dragon for Chinese New Year to do the dance and everything, it’s totally gone," Xa said.
Xa and her family have done business in Utah for more than 30 years and this West Valley City location has been open for more than eight.
"We get along with everyone in the neighborhood. We help out people, communities, any event we’re always there helping people out so we don`t understand why this is happening," Xa said.
Without any bad blood in the community, they're left speculating about why their business was targeted in the middle of the night.
"We don’t know if it’s a hate crime, someone hating Asians being in the community or if it’s a competitor who doesn’t like us. We just don’t know," Xa said.
West Valley City police is investigating this as an arson case, but at this point, say there is not enough evidence to call it a hate crime.
"I want this person caught. I don’t want this person on the streets who could hurt someone else," Xa said.
