A worker at a Manhattan pizza place is fighting for his life after he was allegedly attacked by a customer and mauled by the man’s dog at the restaurant, and now the canine’s owner is behind bars facing charges.
Police said they responded Monday night to Roma Pizza on Fifth Avenue near East 19th Street in the Flatiron District after a fight broke out around 10 p.m. An employee told NBC New York that it started when the victim told the suspect, identified by police as Tyshaun Watson, to take his unleashed dog outside.
Watson then went behind the counter and started punching the employee, according to a coworker. The fight spilled outside onto the sidewalk along Fifth Avenue, which is when the dog pounced on the worker.
“The dog was on him, biting him. After that [Watson] stomped on him, hit him on his head. He went unconscious. He did it two times after,” according to the coworker. “[Watson] thought he was dead, only reason he let him go. And he went back inside and sat with his dog. Waiting for the police.”
The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he is expected to survive.
Watson, 35, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault. Attorney information for Watson was not immediately clear.
Police said the dog was in their custody as well. It was not clear the animal would be put down.
