Portland food truck owner, DoorDash driver has car stolen while on delivery

By Jeffrey Lindblom

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — After being in business for 18 years, the owners of the Taqueria Lindo Michoacan taco truck said they’re struggling more than they have ever before.

Brenda Ruiz, who runs the truck with her husband, said inflation has started to cut deeper and deeper over the years. Right now, they’re barely keeping their heads above water.

Ruiz said crime has made their lives even more difficult. A little more than a month ago, a break-in cost them more than $1,000.

She said it just kept going downhill from there.

In January, Ruiz started working for DoorDash to help with the bills. During a shift a few days ago, someone stole her car.

“I was really, really sad,” Ruiz admitted. “I did cry. Right now, I’m really desperate and sad at the same time. It’s close to the holidays, they took my car, and my business isn’t doing well.”

She said she had a delivery around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Clackamas Town Center. That’s when she grabbed her purse and locked up her car. However, when she came back with the food it was to an empty spot.

“My first reaction was ‘where’s my car?’” she recalled.

She flagged down security she saw driving around the parking lot. The security showed her the recent footage. She said she saw someone break into and steal her car in less than 10 minutes.

“I called the police,” she said. “They never showed up.”

She says she kept calling day after day, and says police eventually asked her to stop and let her know someone will get in touch with her if it’s found.

“The officer talked to me, and he said, ‘We can’t just go and look for your car.’ I’m like, ‘Do I go and look for my car? I need it to work.’”

Ruiz said that she’s struggling, “like a lot of people are.”

She said business has slowed down. Even though everything is getting more expensive, raising prices at her taco truck just isn’t the right thing to do.

“I believe that a lot of people are broke,” Ruiz said. “They’re struggling just like us.”

This incident, however, does have her questioning the point of a camera.

“The police have footage of all of these crimes,” she expressed. “They don’t do anything about it. All I did was sit and cry, because what can I do? I keep thinking to myself, ‘what did I do wrong?’ All I was doing was trying to earn extra money to support my family and my kids. It’s really hard, especially around the holidays.”

Ruiz said that just a month ago her food truck’s windshield and sunroof were busted, the lock of her supply shed broken and about 30 cases of drinks were stolen.

“This problem started like three years ago,” she said.

The car that was stolen is a 1998 4-door white Honda Civic. She’s hoping the community can help her find it.

Ruiz said she has been looking for herself and has posted it on social media, crossing her fingers someone stumbles across it. So far, she hasn’t had any luck.

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