NYPD Seeks 3 Suspects in East Village Assault at Pizza Shop on Avenue A

Pizza Dog Shop’s No Smoking Policy Leads to Beat Down

By Staff Reporter 

Manhattan Voice 

February 12, 2026

Follow us on Instagram

NEW YORK, NY - A pizza shop’s no smoking policy led to a worker getting his head bashed in with a bottle by angry customers, cops said. Now police have released video of the attackers taken from inside the Pizza Dog shop.

According to police, the incident happened just before midnight on Friday, January 23, 2026, inside Pizza & Hot Dog at 131 Avenue A, within the confines of the 9th Precinct in Manhattan. Investigators say a verbal dispute over smoking inside the restaurant escalated into a violent attack that left a 24-year-old man injured in  an East Village assault.

Stay in the Know with Manhattan Voice!
 Get new posts by email:

Powered by

Authorities report that at approximately 11:58 p.m., three unidentified individuals became involved in an argument with the victim. The dispute, police say, was related to smoking inside the East Village eatery.

What began as a verbal disagreement quickly turned physical.

Police state that the three suspects repeatedly punched the victim in the face. During the assault, one individual — described as wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt — allegedly struck the victim in the head with a glass bottle. The blow caused lacerations to the victim’s right ear and facial swelling.

The suspects fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction before officers arrived.

Emergency Medical Services transported the victim to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue after East Village assault, where he was listed in stable condition.

The NYPD has released descriptions of the three suspects wanted in Avenue A pizza shop assault.

The first suspect is described as a male, with a medium complexion and a small build. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. 

The second suspect is a male with a  light complexion and a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt.

The third suspect is a male with a light complexion and a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, gray hooded sweatshirt, and a black hat.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips. 

All calls are confidential.