Horrific moment North Carolina pizzeria owner is knocked unconscious and stomped on while trying to break up late-night brawl at his restaurant
- A North Carolina pizzeria owner as he was viciously knocked out during an attack inside his restaurant after trying to break up a fight early Sunday morning
- Shocking surveillance video captured the scene as Mike Scotto di Frego, owner of Brother's Pizzeria, was brutally assaulted at he was about to close at 2:30 am
- The 36-year-old
- The assault causes him o fall behind a table, outside of the surveillance camera's view, but his attacker can be seen stomping on him repeatedly
- Scotto di Frego and his business partner decided to close the pizzeria at midnight on weekends from now on, despite lucrative late-night sales
- Several other restaurants in the Winston-Salem-Greensboro area have followed suit, closing early due to a recent string of crime
A North Carolina pizzeria owner was knocked out while attempting to break up a fight inside his restaurant.
Shocking surveillance video captured the brutal melee as Mike Scotto di Frego, owner of Brother's Pizzeria in Winston-Salem, was assaulted at his West 4th Street pizza shop just as it was about to close at 2:30 am on Sunday, according to a Fox8 report.
The footage shows a group of people walk towards the back of the restaurant as a fight breaks out between patrons.
Scotto di Frego, 36, can be seen in a Brothers Pizzeria shirt as he approaches the scrum before two men come up from behind him and one of them begins punching him.
The punches sent Scotto di Frego reeling and he fell behind a table, outside of the camera's view, but his attacker can be seen stomping on him repeatedly.
A gun also clattered across the floor during the scuffle, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
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Mike Scotto di Frego pictured inside his Brothers Pizzeria as a man, pictured in yellow, begins punching him repeatedly causing him to lose consciousness before being he was stomped
The moment before the assault began, Scotto di Frego, pictured left with his back facing the camera in a black and white shirt, and after the assailant began repeatedly punching him, right
The man in yellow, pictured, can be seen stomping on Scotto Di Frego after knocking him unconscious to the ground
The footage begins with a group of people, pictured, walking towards the back of the restaurant as a fight breaks out between patrons
'I just tried to split it up,' said Scotto di Frego, who's face remains bruised with two black eyes as a result of the surprise attack.
'I just tried to split it up,' said Scotto di Frego, who's face remains bruised with two black eyes as well as injuries to his arm as a result of the surprise attack.
As of Tuesday, the person behind the attack has yet to be arrested or identified.
Meanwhile, Scotto di Frego and his business partner decided to close the pizzeria at midnight instead of 3 am on weekends from now on, despite lucrative late-night sales.
The pair are one of several business owners in the city's downtown area who have made the choice to close three hours early on Fridays and Saturdays in response to a recent spike in violence.
Merchants in the area told the Winston-Salem Journal that police officers assigned to the downtown bike patrol are off-duty by midnight, which is two hours before last call in bars.
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Pictured: a map of the violent crimes this year in Winston-Salem-Greensboro, NC metro area
Pictured: violent crime reported to the FBI from 2010 to 2019 in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and the City of High Plains in North Carolina
The Greensboro Police Department for the region shows a two percent increase in violent crime so far this year compared to 2020, Fox8 reports.
According to the FBI, violent crime in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point has been slowly rising over the past decade as the population grows, with crime across North Carolina being higher than the national average in 2020, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer.
Meanwhile, over the last five years in Greensboro, there were 27 non-fatal shootings per every 100,000 people, with a total of 34 in 2021 alone, according to WFMY.
And in Winston-Salem over the past five years, there were 25 shootings per every 100,000 people, which has since doubled to 54 this year.
Pictured: Brother's Pizzeria in Winston-Salem, NC, the site of a brutal attack on it's owner as he tried to break up a fight on Sunday morning
Meanwhile, Scotto di Frego, pictured, and his business partner decided to close the pizzeria at midnight instead of 3 am on weekends from now on, despite lucrative late-night sales
Scotto di Frego, pictured, added that making an extra $1,000 after midnight was not worth the trouble anymore
Scotto di Frego added that making an extra $1,000 after midnight was not worth the trouble anymore.
'What are we spending our money on if (police) aren't around?' Scotto di Frego questioned.
In nearby Greensboro, just a 30 minute drive from Winston-Salem, other restaurant owners are beginning to follow suit.
At Jake's Pub and Billiards, manager Brandon Ward decided to also close earlier and avoid the risk of running into trouble with the late-night crowd.
'We just can't do this anymore,' said Ward.
'There was just a shift of how people were acting late night.'
Pictured: the business hours for Brother's Pizzeria, which shows 11 am to 3 am, however now the business will be closing at midnight following Sunday's attack
At Jake's Pub and Billiards, manager Brandon Ward, pictured, decided to also close earlier and avoid the risk of running into trouble with the late-night crowd
Meanwhile, at Spring Garden Street, the hours on display have been slashed from 2 am until midnight, as well.
'It's two hours every single day, that does add up but to have that, I guess to know you're safe when you go home is kind of worth it,' Ward said.
Ward added that the schedule changes are a result of a recent string of crime in the area after reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
'It's really sad that we can't be that constant in people's lives but I hope we can get back to that,' he told Fox8.
If you recognize anyone in the video or have any information about the assault, contact Winston-Salem Police Department at (336) 773-7700.
