Footage of a Black woman being brutally attacked by a male employee of a pizza parlor in Pittsburgh drew protesters to the restaurant over the weekend outraged.
A viral video clip posted on social media shows Pizza Milano manager Mahmut Yilmaz engaged brutal altercation with customer Jade Martin on Friday evening.
Martin, 34, told police she was drinking with a friend at a local lounge a few doors down from Pizza Milano before leaving to catch a bus home around 7:30 p.m., according to a police report. When she missed the bus, she decided to stop in the pizza restaurant and was stopped by Yilmaz, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports.
In the beginning of the nearly 3-minute video, Yilmaz is seen with Martin inside of the eatery near the door and he’s heard demanding that she leave the restaurant. As she instead attempts to walk away in the opposite direction, Yilmaz forcefully snatches Martin by her arm and throws her up against the door frame, before slamming her into tables and chairs and ultimately onto the floor. He then gets on top of her and repeatedly bangs her head against the floor. At no point does Martin put her hands on Yilmaz prior to his vicious attack on her.
Watch the clip below.
Martin, a mother of two young children, was later treated for her injuries at a local hospital. Yilmaz turned himself in to police Saturday night and has since been charged with aggravated assault and simple assault.
On Saturday afternoon, a group of over 20 protesters gathered outside the restaurant calling for justice.
Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto released a statement late Saturday confirming the arrest and proclaiming that the city “will not tolerate violence against women and that we will work as a community to protect all women, and notably African American women, from physical and emotional violence.”
His full statement reads:
“This morning I was made aware of the deeply disturbing video from Milano’s Pizza. I have worked through the day with Pittsburgh Police leadership and charges have now been quickly brought. I want to thank the community for their assistance in the investigation, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for their hard work throughout the day. It is my sincere hope that these charges are another step in sending a very clear signal that Pittsburgh will not tolerate violence against women and that we will work as a community to protect all women, and notably African American women, from physical and emotional violence.”
The Coalition for the Safety of Black Women and Girls has called for an investigation into the incident, while community activists are reportedly planning a larger protest to take place in the city on Monday.
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(Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Restaurant Manager Arrested After Protest Erupt Over Assault Of Black Woman was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
