Karma can be a cruel master, as this violent dude at an Indianapolis Subway restaurant found out when he was spitting at and assaulting an employee. Unfortunately for him, former high school wrestler and football player Gabriel Pitzulo happened upon the scene, and what occurred next was a flawless takedown and subsequent restraining maneuver. Pitzulo, now working as a welder, was able to hold the bad guy until police arrived.
It's a beautiful thing to watch:
INDIANAPOLIS
— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) April 2, 2024
On March 22, Gabriel Pitzulo walked into the Subway on E. Hanna Ave. on Indianapolis’s south side for his usual lunch break. Upon his arrival, he saw Daniel Saunders verbally and physically assaulting a Subway employee.
“I had walked in and he was visibly… pic.twitter.com/pOaRvLH1GM
Pitzulo’s perfect tackling technique, along with his A+ wrestling hold, deserve some sort of trophy.
It all went down in late March when Pitzulo stopped by Subway to get a sandwich:
Gabriel Pitzulo told ABC affiliate WRTV that he entered the E. Hanna Ave location for lunch on March 22, and saw a man throwing things at the employee behind the counter and spit on her.
"How I was raised, you don't do that stuff. It was kind of go time from there," he told WRTV.
He jumped into action:
The man, later identified by police as Daniel Saunders, 31, attempted to leave the store, but Pitzulo, a former high school wrestler and football player, said he used his sports experience to tackle the suspect.
"I did combat sports for quite a while, so I was completely controlling," Pitzulo said. "I didn't want to hurt him too bad."
Pitzulo held Saunders down on the floor until the police arrived and arrested the suspect. The entire incident was captured by surveillance cameras.
Saunders was charged with battery injury, battery resulting in bodily injury and disorderly conduct-fighting/tumultuous conduct, according to police records.
It turns out that his heroic athleticism isn’t the only good part of this story; what the former high school grappler said in interviews afterward was equally impressive.
"I haven't really been turning down interviews because I do want to get this out there for the young men. There's a lot of talk nowadays of toxic masculinity, and I'm really trying to, you know, push this narrative that you should stand up for the people, innocent people, people in your local neighborhood. And, you know, that's kind of what I take from it," he said.
I love this quote so much and I showed my two younger sons this article. Good stuff Gabriel Pitzulo (just don’t do this in New York City). https://t.co/tdVSLA8K4o pic.twitter.com/N2NduMNVJL
— Alex 🙂 #UNMASKOURCHILDREN (@FD2403) April 5, 2024
Well said, young man, well said. One thing he also revealed: his father was a professional cage fighter. Now that certainly makes sense in retrospect, doesn't it?
Hopefully, perps like Saunders will think twice the next time they decide to spit on and harass innocent workers.
See more of Pitzulo’s story in his interview with Fox News:
This is one in a series about everyday heroes that don’t necessarily make the front pages. It’s a chance to talk about something other than Joe’s rantings, bloated budgets, and war in the Middle East.
I’m inviting readers to send me stories of people they know or who they’ve read about who have done heroic acts—large or small, physical or otherwise—that have made someone’s life better or saved them from danger. Please email me with any tips at [email protected] or DM me on Twitter. Thanks!
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