A pizzeria owner and his father have been stabbed 10 times after they rushed to rescue a 61-year-old woman who was robbed outside her Queens restaurant.
Louie Suljovic, 38, a US military veteran and owner of Louie’s Pizzeria in Elmhurst, said he was working behind the counter on Saturday night when he suddenly heard his father Cazim, 68, screaming for help.
Suljovic told ABC 7 his father saw three men stab the elderly woman outside the pizzeria and attacked her.
“So he went after them and called my name,” Sulgovic said. “When I heard my name, we both chased her around the block.”
Although Suljovic was stabbed in the back and his father nine times, both suffering from lung injuries, the heroic men held two of the three suspects until police arrived, while the third fled the scene.
They then went with police to nearby Elmhurst Hospital, where she and the victim, a woman who has yet to be identified, are being treated.
Louie Suljovic (pictured), 38, a US military veteran and owner of Louie’s Pizza in Elmhurst, was standing behind the counter when his father alerted him that a woman had been assaulted
Cazim Suljovic, 68, saw a 61-year-old woman stabbed and assaulted outside his son’s pizzeria on Saturday night. The older man ran ahead and together they arrested two of the three robbers, although they were stabbed multiple times
The elder Suljovic was stabbed nine times, while his son was stabbed once in the back. Both men suffered punctured lungs and are recovering from their injuries
Surveillance cameras near the area show the three men (left) pursuing the victim
The NYPD called Suljovic and his father local heroes, noting that the restaurant owner had also donated meals to Elmhurst Hospital staff and emergency workers during the pandemic.
“He and his father are some of the best that New York has to offer. We thank them for their courage and wish them a speedy recovery,” the NYPD’s 110th Precinct said in a statement.
Surveillance cameras near the crime scene show the three men stalking the victim that night.
The woman, who only speaks Korean, told ABC 7 that she remembered being pushed from behind and pushed to the ground as the thieves stole her bag and stabbed her.
Police arrest Robert What, 30, and Supreme Gooding, 18, were arrested and charged with robbery, assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Which was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
The third robber remains at large while police continue to investigate the incident.
While recovering in hospital, Suljovic said he was suffering from pain caused by his stitches but added that his father, who was stabbed nine times, refused to complain.
“I’m trying to catch my breath but it’s hard to get a proper breath and you feel like there’s a bubble inside,” Suljovic told ABC 7.
“My father is a cop, like old-school men. They don’t make them like they used to.’
Suljovic said it was still painful to breathe but he and his father recovered well
The incident happened outside their restaurant in Elmhurst, New York
The restaurant is currently closed while the father and son recover. A GoFundMe page set up to help has raised more than $85,000 as of Tuesday night
A GoFundMe page set up to help the two men and their medical expenses has raised more than $85,000 as of Tuesday night.
The restaurant remains closed while Suljovic and his father continue to recover.
The crime happened a day before new Mayor Eric Adams said the rise in crime across New York City had turned the Big Apple into a “laughing stock” that needed a “war general” to address the ongoing problem.
Adams, in his speech at the NYPD Holy Name Society’s annual communion service and breakfast Sunday, condemned lawlessness across the city, blaming petty crime and homelessness as contributing factors to the widespread “dysfunction.”
He called on the nearly 500 police officers in attendance to take back the streets of NYC, arguing that “people want their city back.”
His push to fight crime also comes as New York City Police Department crime statistics for February showed a nearly 60 percent increase in crimes compared to the same time last year, and a recent survey of more than 9,000 employees found that 40 percent of the Manhattan workers wanted to move away because of rising crime. About 48 percent of workers in the other four districts agreed.
But crime in the Big Apple doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
New Mayor Eric Adams said the rise in crime in New York City has turned the Big Apple into a “laughing stock” that needs a “war general” to address the ongoing problem
According to a recent survey of more than 9,000 employees, workers in New York City said they were fed up with the city’s rise in crime and homelessness. 84 percent of respondents said conditions in the city had deteriorated over the past two years
Overall crime in the city has increased by more than 45 percent since the same period last year
The New York City subway was ground zero after an alarming 73.3 percent increase in underground incidents — including 182 in February alone.
Hate crimes have also doubled since last year – with anti-Asian attacks more than triple and complaints of anti-Semitic attacks up a whopping 54 percent from the same time last year, from 134 to 207 incidents.
Overall crime in the city has risen more than 45 percent since last year, with 4,736 reported crimes this year compared to 4,003 last year, an increase of more than 18 percent.
Robberies saw the biggest increase with 3,351 cases reported so far, up 45.6 percent from a year earlier.
Rape has also seen a dramatic increase, with 360 reported cases compared to 247 at the same time last year, an increase of almost 31 percent.
The number of shooting victims continues to rise as 284 cases have been reported so far this year, an increase of 17.4 percent.