Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison After 'Viciously Attacking' Pizzeria Worker in Video Footage By Moná Thomas 33

A man has pleaded guilty to violently assaulting a Manhattan pizzeria manager in a 2024 attack that left the victim with severe brain injuries and in a medically induced coma for weeks.

According to a statement from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, obtained by PEOPLE, Tyshaun Watson, 36, pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court on Dec. 3, 2025, to two counts of first-degree assault. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Watson was sentenced to 17 years in state prison on Jan. 15, 2026, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

“Tyshaun Watson is facing accountability for viciously attacking a pizzeria manager. This employee, who was just doing his job, suffered significant injuries and had to be placed in a medically induced coma for two weeks,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said in a statement. “No worker should ever have to fear for their safety, and my Office will prosecute those who harm them.”

The attack occurred on Aug. 19, 2024, at around 9:45 p.m. inside Roma Pizza, located at 146 Fifth Avenue, according to court records and statements made during Watson’s plea. Prosecutors said Watson entered the restaurant with his unleashed dog, ordered food and sat down to eat. The manager told Watson twice that dogs were not permitted inside the restaurant.

Authorities said the situation escalated after the manager boxed Watson’s pizza to go. In the security footage provided by the DA’s office, Watson became visibly angry and then went behind the counter and began physically assaulting the manager. He punched the man in the head, tackled him to the ground and continued striking him while Watson’s dog bit the victim.

Another employee attempted to intervene, but Watson swung at that worker as well, who ultimately backed away from the situation once Watson hit him.

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The attack continued both inside and outside the restaurant. After the manager tried to flee and close the door behind him, Watson forced it open, placed the man in a chokehold and threw him to the ground, continuing to punch him while the dog bit him. Watson then kicked the manager in the face, rendering him unresponsive, before punching him in the stomach and stomping on his face twice times on the sidewalk.

After the assault, Watson walked back into the pizzeria and sat down with his dog until police arrived and arrested him at the scene.

The manager was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for bleeding in the brain, facial and skull fractures, multiple dog bite wounds and a traumatic brain injury. Prosecutors said he remained intubated and in a medically induced coma for approximately two weeks and spent about two months hospitalized.