South Side Restaurant Owner Assaulted, Suspect Sought
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SOUTH SIDE (KDKA) – Police are asking for the public's help to identify a suspect after a South Side restaurant owner was assaulted last month.
According to police, the incident happened at Lesvos Gyros on East Carson Street at closing time in the early morning hours of Sept. 19.
"There were three people walk in… Two black guys and one white guy," said restaurant owner Steven Zarglis.
He says they ordered and paid for two gyros.
Zarglis says after a while the man seen in a surveillance photo, provided by Pittsburgh Police, began calling him names. He then asked all of them to leave because he was closing.
"So, I went down there to close the door. A black guy, he kept calling me names. He was calling me the N-word," Zarglis said. "And when I did say, 'Are you calling 'N'?' then he got real mad."
As he ushered the men out the door, the man seen in the photo punched the 67-year-old owner in the face and left the scene.
According to Zarglis, he suffered a broken nose and is still having vision problems in his left eye.
Zarglis believes the individuals initially planned to rob the restaurant, but changed their mind.
Now, he is trying to sell the business and building and move from the South Side. Zarglis opened Lesvos Gyros nine years ago.
"I am trying to sell it," says Zarglis. "My son doesn't want it; he is terrified."
Anyone who recognizes the man in the photo above is asked to call Pittsburgh Police Zone 3 at (412)-488-8326.
"We are hoping that someone can come forward and say we know who this person is, here's his name, and will take care of the rest," said Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Sonya Toler.
