A chef at a California pizza restaurant was attacked Sunday when a man allegedly threatened to set him on fire and chased him around the kitchen with a knife.
The suspect, 61-year-old Robert Haight, walked into Allegro Pizzeria through the back door and threw some liquid on the chef’s back, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported Tuesday. The unnamed chef then saw the suspect holding an accelerant in one hand and a knife in the other, according to the outlet. Haight was also leading a small dog on a leash, security footage shared by FOX 11 shows.
The man followed the cook through the kitchen holding a chef’s knife, lighter fluid, and his small dog on a leash. https://t.co/Z74kZdAJ5w
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) June 27, 2023
“He thought it was a joke,” Allegro Pizza owner Raul Ferrero told the outlet. “He thought it was water. When he smelled the gasoline that was when he reacted.” (RELATED: Video Shows Man Lighting Gas Station Ablaze, Trapping Worker After Altercation)
Haight chased the chef around the kitchen with the knife before the chef ran out the back door and called for help, according to the outlet.
A good Samaritan pulled up in his truck and got out to help the chef, FOX 11 reported, but the suspect allegedly sprayed him with lighter fluid, too.
“I just pulled up, and the guy just got knocked out,” one witness told the outlet. The good Sam had allegedly knocked Haight unconscious. “His head is bleeding and there was another guy in the parking lot, and he was saying, ‘You need to get out of here, or I’m going to knock you out again.'”
Law enforcement arrived at the scene and detained Haight on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, KABC reported. He allegedly feared for his life and thought he was being targeted. “He was just not in his right mind,” Ferrero told the outlet. Haight’s bail has been set at $500,000.