A good Samaritan stepped in and attacked a brazen attacker who allegedly punched and spat at an employee at a Subway restaurant in Indiana.
Gabriel Pitzulo, 23, managed to hold the alleged attacker on the ground for eight minutes until law enforcement was called to the Indianapolis Subway store.
The incredible moment was captured by the store’s surveillance camera, showing the brave former high school wrestler charging at the attacker and successfully taking him down.
The belligerent customer, later identified as Daniel Saunders, 31, was charged with one count of battery resulting in bodily injury, as reported by WFSB.
The Subway store manager decided to grant Pitzulo free sandwiches for life as a thank you for his heroic action on March 22.
Gabriel Pitzulo, 23, intervened and tackled a brazen attacker who had beaten and spat on an employee at a Subway restaurant in Indiana.
The incredible moment was captured by the store’s surveillance camera, showing the brave former high school wrestler charging at the attacker and successfully taking him down.
Pitzulo, 23, managed to hold the attacker on the ground for eight minutes until law enforcement was called to the Subway store in Indianapolis.
Pitzulo was walking into the sandwich shop on his lunch break last month when he heard someone in the store screaming loudly, he told Fox & Friends First.
He said: “It was just another normal day at work, I was going wherever I’m going all the time. Coming in, it was quite hectic. People were shouting, it was quite loud.
The former high school wrestler and football player said he saw Saunders throw something at a female employee behind the counter.
The attacker then allegedly spat on the employee in front of a crowd of customers.
“I heard it from outside. I walked in and he was obviously attacking, throwing things. I think I saw him spit on it, and the way I was raised, you don’t do that kind of thing. It was kind of time to go from there,” Pitzulo said.
Pitzulo, who now works as a welder, quickly tackled the alleged attacker and tackled him to the ground, surveillance footage shows.
The 23-year-old man said he wanted to stop the attacker from hurting the employee.
“She didn’t seem capable of defending herself like that. … She said he threatened to kill her. I did combat sports for quite a while, so I was totally in control.
“I didn’t want to hit him or anything. I didn’t want to hurt him too much. So I just held him,” Pitzulo said.
“It wasn’t cool,” he said, adding that there were “a few exchanges of words” between him and the suspect while others called police.
Pitzulo was walking into the sandwich shop during his lunch break last month when he heard someone in the store screaming loudly
Pitzulo, who now works as a welder, quickly attacked the assailant and tackled him to the ground, surveillance footage shows.
The store manager said Saunders was at the restaurant all week, using the restroom and asking for free food.
“The cops came. I helped him put the handcuffs on, and they thanked me and told me what I had done was very brave,” he said.
The video of Pitzulo’s heroic intervention circulated on social media and the young man expressed hope that it will inspire others to intervene when innocent people are targeted.
“I haven’t really turned down interviews because I want to get this out to young men.
“There’s a lot of talk today about toxic masculinity, and I’m really trying to, you know, promote this narrative that you should stand up for people, innocent people, people in your neighborhood. That’s kind of what I remember from it.
“I advise anyone to stand up for, you know, do what’s right. And to help the people around you,” he said.
Saunders was charged with battery, battery resulting in bodily injury and disorderly conduct/rambunctious conduct, according to police records.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Indianapolis Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
Aarij Kham, Subway’s Indianapolis district manager, expressed gratitude to Pitzulo for his courageous actions and recounted what happened in a statement.
He said Saunders stayed at the restaurant all week, using the restroom and asking for free food.
Aarij Kham, Subway’s Indianapolis district manager, expressed gratitude to Pitzulo for his courageous actions and recounted what happened in a statement.
“The man in the video was there all week and we let him use the restroom, gave him free food and made sure he was taken care of like we always do.”
“When he arrived I was at another store but he asked for more free food and my employee said no at the time because he was drunk.
“He had three or four bottles of Hennessey on him which I later got rid of after the cops arrived.” He became angry when she told him to leave and he threw things at her and assaulted her – they were able to take photos of the mark on his face.
“Gabriel was the only one who came in and he jumped into action and did what everyone else had to do. Gabriel stayed on him for seven to eight minutes and once the cops arrived it took four to five police officers to control him.
“I told Gabriel that as long as I worked here, he could get Subway for free from me or my manager,” Kham said.
dailymail us
