Johannesburg - A disgruntled customer who was seen pulling out a gun after an altercation with fellow customers at an Andiccio24 pizzeria, is now the subject of a police investigation after firing gunshots.
The man, who got into an altercation with a group of customers, had apparently been angered that his order arrived with no cheese, Andiccio 24’s marketing manager Clara Namnick said.
Namnick said the visibly agitated man had gotten into a verbal confrontation with pizzeria staff, before the customers intervened on the staffers behalf.
In the video, the suspect who allegedly pulled out a firearm and later shot two gunshots in the air as he left, was seen wearing an Uzzi T-shirt and a black biker jacket.
As he pulls away from the group, he pulls out a gun and cocks it, before leaving the eatery. Briefly, a sense of panic appears to engulf the room, as one of the patrons is seen hiding under a table, while another pushes a chair towards the armed man.
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— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee)
Namnick said the incident was quickly brought to Andiccio24’s attention.
“The altercation took place in one of our outlets in Johannesburg in the early hours of Sunday morning, where a customer placed an order for a focaccia with toppings (no cheese).
“After coming forward to collect his pizza, he noticed there was no cheese and approached our staff immediately (visibly aggravated). Our staff calmly explained that he had selected a focaccia base pizza on his order form which clearly indicated that it did not include any cheese.
“He then became incredibly aggressive and verbally abusive towards our staff, and as a result the customers in the store came to our staff’s defense and they continued to argue with the customer directly.
“On exiting the store, the gentlemen pulled out his gun and upon driving away from the store he released two shots into the air. We are thankful that nobody was injured. Police arrived on the scene shortly afterwards to collect evidence and take statements from both customers and staff. A case has been opened,” said Namnick.
Namnick said counselling had been offered to staff and was calling on members of the public to assist the police in identifying the suspect.