A man who brutally attacked a Manhattan pizzeria manager — leaving the victim with catastrophic brain injuries and in a medically induced coma for weeks — has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
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 plea deal, Watson was sentenced on Jan. 15, 2026, to 17 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“Tyshaun Watson is facing accountability for viciously attacking a pizzeria manager,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said in a statement. “This employee, who was just doing his job, suffered significant injuries and had to be placed in a medically induced coma for two weeks. No worker should ever have to fear for their safety, and my Office will prosecute those who harm them.”
The violent attack unfolded on Aug. 19, 2024, around 9:45 p.m. inside Roma Pizza, located at 146 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, according to court records and statements made during Watson’s plea.
Prosecutors said Watson entered the restaurant with his dog unleashed, ordered food, and sat down to eat. The manager told Watson twice that dogs were not allowed inside the establishment. After the manager boxed Watson’s pizza to go, the situation escalated rapidly.
Security footage released by prosecutors shows Watson becoming visibly enraged before jumping behind the counter and launching a vicious assault. Authorities said Watson repeatedly punched the manager in the head, tackled him to the ground, and continued striking him as his dog bit the victim.
Another employee attempted to intervene but was forced to retreat after Watson swung at him.
The attack spilled outside the restaurant when the manager tried to escape and shut the door behind him. Watson allegedly forced the door open, placed the victim in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and continued punching him as the dog attacked. Prosecutors said Watson then kicked the manager in the face, rendering him unresponsive, before punching him in the stomach and stomping on his face twice on the sidewalk.
After the prolonged assault, Watson calmly walked back into the pizzeria, sat down with his dog, and waited until police arrived. Officers arrested him at the scene.
The manager was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where doctors treated him for bleeding in the brain, fractures to his face and skull, multiple dog bite wounds, and a traumatic brain injury. Prosecutors said the victim remained intubated and in a medically induced coma for approximately two weeks and spent nearly two months hospitalized.
