Hero restaurant worker hailed for effortlessly breaking up brawl that began after one customer cut line
A South Carolina restaurant worker is being hailed a hero for breaking up a fight as a man is arrested after stepping on the foot of another customer.
Hakeem LaPierre, 37, leapt into action after a customer started throwing punches at Boots and Sonny’s restaurant in Spartanburg on Monday afternoon.
‘It was a regular day and somebody decided to fight,’ he told Fox Carolina.
‘All I know is he stepped on that man’s foot and I know he stepped on the wrong toe.’
The brawl was captured on security footage, as one man was seen bumping into another before the chaos broke out.
A police report obtained by the outlet detailed how a man was leaving the restaurant when another man stomped on his foot.
Video footage obtained by the outlet saw the moment punches were thrown, as LaPierre immediately noticed the chaos and walked over to the counter.
After a moment, LaPierre takes hold of the suspect from over the counter and pulls him across onto the floor.
Hakeem LaPierre, 37, leapt into action after a customer started throwing punches at Boots and Sonny’s restaurant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Monday
Video footage obtained by the outlet saw the moment punches were thrown, as LaPierre immediately noticed the chaos and walked over to the counter
LaPierre, pictured, had only been an employee at the restaurant for two months when the fight broke out. Those around him at the time said he acted quickly to defuse the situation
The victim was seen left with a torn shirt as LaPierre appears to gesture for the suspect to leave, security footage showed.
The suspect then stood up and started hitting an employee behind the counter, according to the police report.
LaPierre recalled to the outlet how everyone froze in shock and he knew it was up to him to step in.
‘I saw it was a young guy jumping on an older man and then I saw a lobby full of men and nobody moved,’ he said.
‘I’m like, I got to separate the two because he already bust the man face open and he rip his shirt.’
The police report said that other employees also started to hit the suspect in an effort to stop the fight.
The man’s description was said to match that of a vandalism suspect who allegedly threw a concrete block at the front window of a black Dodge, police said.
According to other employees, the man accused of starting the brawl had been known to frequently cause issues, the outlet reported.
The brawl was captured on security footage, as one man was seen bumping into another before the chaos broke out. According to police, the man stepped on the victim’s foot
After a moment, LaPierre takes hold of the suspect from over the counter and pulls him across onto the floor
Gregory Tyricus Jacobs, 24, was arrested and charged with assault and battery. Jacobs was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center under a $2,344.44 surety bond
According to other employees, the man accused of starting the brawl had been known to frequently cause issues
The heroic employee said he pulled them apart without a moments hesitation and said he doesn’t train with weights: ‘I’m naturally strong.’
Gregory Tyricus Jacobs, 24, was arrested and charged with assault and battery.
Jacobs was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center under a $2,344.44 surety bond, jail officials told the Daily Mail.
LaPierre had only been an employee at the restaurant for two months when the fight broke out.
Those around him at the time said he acted quickly to defuse the situation, Fox Carolina reported.
‘I’m not looking for the hero title. I just do what I expect another person to do if they see that happening to my father or grandfather,’ he said.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Spartanburg Police Department, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and Boots and Sonny’s restaurant for comment.
