Bakery Phatties Bake Shop in San Diego, California was forced to lock its doors during business hours when desperate homeless residents STEAL their vegan treats – one of them armed with a CRAFT BAR

A bakery in San Diego shuts down during business hours after a series of incidents in which homeless people entered the store and wreaked havoc.

The owners of Phattie’s Bake Shop say they’ve had run-ins with people damaging property, stealing food and even one incident where a man entered with a crowbar.

An Instagram post on Friday showed a photo of a man with the gun, along with a caption explaining that a doorbell service would be used in the future.

The post has received hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from supporters empathizing with the owner’s decision to shut down for safety reasons.

San Diego has more than 2,000 people living on the streets. In 2019, the county had the fourth highest population of unhoused individuals in the United States.

In their post, the owners of the vegan bakery — located in San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood — wrote that the doors are closing in “locked until further notice.’

The owners shared that their goal is to keep the bakery safe for their customers and their employees and that the new system is their way of achieving that goal.

“Over the past few weeks we have had people come in without a home and grab and leave products, destroy property, come in and yell, and the latest was bringing a crowbar into Phatties,” they wrote.

In addition to announcing the doorbell procedure, the retailers said they “will be more careful” in resolving the difficulties.

In a separate Instagram post, the store invited guests to simply press the doorbell on the side of the entrance to gain entry.

It seems like the community is behind the bakery, which won Best Donut in San Diego in 2022 by the San Diego Reader’s Choice Awards.

The comments on the vegan and gluten-free bakery’s posts are littered with support from their nearly 5,000 followers on Instagram.

“This is unacceptable and I’m sorry you had to go through this. It’s hard enough having a public company,” one person wrote in a response to the original post.

“I’m so sorry and I’m so glad you’re taking steps to protect yourself and your business!” shared with another individual.

‘To others! Share this and speak up. We need tougher laws and we need to be able to protect ourselves and our businesses,” another wrote.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, store owner Susan Madueno said neighbors have lifted the bakery since posting the photos on Instagram.

“The community has really come out and supported us,” Madueno said.

In addition, she said the San Diego Police Department has been in contact and is working with the owners to help ensure a safe environment.

As for the man who entered the store with a crowbar, Madueno said it’s unclear if the man was apprehended.

Situations like this are becoming more common among San Diego residents who are dealing with one of the worst epidemics of homelessness in the United States.

In December, DailyMail.com shared footage of a shocking attack on an innocent dog walker who took a stroll down one of the neighborhood’s busiest streets.

Resident and anesthesiologist, Woody Boethel, 50, was punched and kicked by at least four men who asked him for money while he was walking his dog.

Video of the attack was shared with local media by the owner of Hodad’s, the restaurant the dog walker was pounced on.

Boethel was walking down Newport Avenue when the four individuals asked him for money, to which he said “no.”

The group then turned violent, even kicking the dog as they proceeded to kick Boethel, who said he was unable to work after sustaining a hand injury during the attack.

The dog even tries to stop the group of men by barking and biting at them repeatedly. At one point, Boethel is dragged backwards by the neck and rammed into a car.

San Diego – a county with a population of about 3.3 million – has about 10,000 homeless people, according to recent data.

About 5,100 San Diegans are completely unprotected, while the other 5,000 are in shelters and temporary housing. KPBS reported in June.

Earlier this year, the San Diego City Council voted to ban homeless camps, and leaders have spent time looking for solutions ever since.

In July, the city opened its first of two “safe sleep” areas that would provide people with safe and clean housing.

City leaders said at the time that the newly erected base could hold as many as 136 tents with a capacity of about 150 people.

Another location will open in the fall and will accommodate up to 400 tents.

In addition to giving the homeless a safe place to sleep, the place offers free meals, access to toilets and mobile showers.