Man arrested after Canesa deli owner stabbed outside Clayton store –

CLAYTON, CA (June 29, 2024) – John Canesa is recovering after being stabbed outside his downtown deli around 1 p.m. on June 25.

According to his wife Priscilla, Canesa was stabbed six times in front of Canesa's Brooklyn Heroes store downtown on the corner of Oak and Main St. When police arrived, they arrested Peter Kerns, 45, of Concord. Emergency responders transported a lucid Canesa to John Muir Medical Center.

Priscilla said Kerns, a customer at the time, was acting erratically and confronting workers and customers. Eventually, Canesa came out of his grocery store and got into a fight with Kerns.

Priscilla acknowledges that the scene took a personal turn when Kerns verbally abused their teenage daughter. “The customer was very aggressive and hostile towards my daughter Gianna, who was taking orders at the window,” she said.

Priscilla said Kerns was causing a big disturbance and harassing everyone in the neighborhood. “He was also yelling at John in the deli and deliberately disrupting our customers and our workplace,” she added, noting that Kerns’ actions led to a tense moment for everyone involved.

The incident culminated in an altercation during which Canesa, 44, was stabbed.

Although reports indicated Canesa was awake and talking when he was taken to the hospital, his wife said he was still “in no condition to talk” about the case to the Pioneer two days later the incident.

A search of public records showed Kerns had been arrested at least once before, but provided no information on what led to his arrest in this case.

Canesa's Brooklyn Heros moved from Concord to its Main Street location in 2012. The grocery store is closed until July 2 while Canesa recovers. They will resume their normal business hours, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Read more stories from Vince Martellacci.