RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A shocking scuffle broke out at Bookbinder’s Seafood & Steakhouse in Shockoe Bottom. The whole thing was caught on video.
The incident occurred during the dinner rush after 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11. Security camera footage shows three men entering the restaurant, heading straight to the bar and attacking an employee as he was serving food.
The owner of the restaurant, John Taxin, told 8News he believes the fight started over a girl and social media. He said the three men had arrived out of retaliation.
“They couldn’t have picked a dumber place to do this,” Taxin said. “At that night, maybe there were 35-40 coworkers. We’re a close group, along with 120 customers at that time. And, you know, it’s with cameras all over the place. So, it was it was a bad decision these kids made.”
The men can be seen briefly pinning the server to the ground before other employees — and even some customers — jump into action to protect the victim and de-escalate the situation.
Taxin said that police were called immediately as one of the suspects showed he had a gun. Officers arrived after the three men had left the scene. No one was seriously injured.
“I thank God for us and for them, too, because, you know, kids make mistakes as I have,” Taxin said. “And, you know, I truly hope these guys have learned a lesson and that maybe it’ll make them better people in the long run, but in the meantime, it needs to be dealt with.”
The Richmond Police Department took down an assault report and is working to identify the three suspects.
Taxin said the three men showed up at the restaurant the following day but remained outside. He says he is considering pressing charges.
