JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Kamiya 86 in Jacksonville Beach and the restaurant’s other location in Ponte Vedra Beach were raided Wednesday morning as part of a federal investigation.
The Jacksonville Beach location closed while it was being raided by agents from Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
An eyewitness said the raid began in the parking lot when a white van pulled up.
“They came from the back and the sides and swatted in on a big white van,” the witness said. “They got everybody out of the van. They lined them up. They took a few people who were in the van and put them into a police vehicle.”
Another witness who shot video of the raid said people who appeared to have been taken into custody were placed into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection van.
Another witness took a picture of the same van with what appears to be an agent, who presumably works undercover, talking to someone inside.
Witnesses said the van that was swarmed by agents at the beginning of the raid was towed away.
Witnesses said when agents raided the restaurant, they went in through the front and back doors. It’s unclear who or what they were looking for, but when they left, the restaurant opened for business.
An employee who didn’t want to go on camera said they did nothing wrong and that everything was back to normal.
However, the same could not be said for the Kamiya 86 restaurant 6 miles down the road in Ponte Vedra Beach. This location was also raided by federal agents.
A sign on the front door at this location said the business was closed for the day. People showing up to eat had to find another restaurant.
Several witnesses said most of the law enforcement activity at this location was at the back of the building.
Another white van that was normally parked behind the restaurant was towed away and witnesses said multiple people were led out of the restaurant.
Two white vans being towed from two restaurants with the same name seemed odd. Then a couple of employees at businesses next to the Kamyia 86 in Jacksonville Beach said groups of about five to eight people were being brought to the restaurant in a white van every day just before it opened.
What led up to the raid remains unclear. A spokesperson for HSI said they won’t be able to comment until the investigation is completed.