Owner of Rockstar Burgers in KC arrested for assault; restaurant closed indefinitely
A Kansas City business owner has been charged with domestic assault, less than two weeks after complaints about controversial online posts connected to his restaurant began surfacing.
Prosecutors in Platte County allege that Brian D. Smith struck an ex-girlfriend in the head with a handgun.
The woman “felt a large volume of apparent blood on the back of her head and neck,” a probable cause statement said.
Smith, 42, owns Rockstar Burgers, a restaurant in the West Bottoms that opened in 2013. He also faces an armed criminal action charge and was taken into custody Thursday.
The Kansas City Police Department said a multi-jurisdictional investigation, including an animal abuse complaint, is still ongoing.
A sign on the restaurant’s door Friday said it is closed indefinitely.
In late November, hundreds of people began calling for the business to shut its doors after graphic imagery was posted on a page for the restaurant.
Critics organized a petition and a protest.
A manager at the restaurant said late last month that Smith has little to do with the day-to-day operations at the business and that its 25 employees have nothing to do with the owner’s actions.
Smith has not responded to a request for comment.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 4:23 PM.
