Name: Victim in alleged anti-Asian attack at S.F. bar was punched by a retired pro boxer, witnesses say
Brand: sfchronicle.com
SKU: sfchronicle-com-211
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Victim in alleged anti-Asian attack at S.F. bar was punched by a retired pro boxer, witnesses say

preview

An 18-year-old man, whose family said in a viral TikTok video that he was the victim of an anti-Asian attack in San Francisco, was punched in the face by a retired professional heavyweight boxer, a witness told The Chronicle.The owner of Gino &amp; Carlo Cocktail Lounge, Frank Rossi, witnessed the incident on Friday and told The Chronicle that the attacker was Pat Lawlor, a regular bar patron who is a retired professional boxer known during his fighting career as theLawlor punched the young man who would not leave the seating area of the bar, according to Rossi and the young man’s father, Jan Enguillado, who said he also witnessed the attack.Enguillado said his son was “traumatized” after the attack, which left him with bruises on his face.Rossi was clearing outdoor tables Friday evening when he noticed the young man sitting at one of the tables. Rossi said he asked the man to leave after determining that he was under 21, which he said he feared would draw the attention of state Alcohol Beverage Control inspectors.“I told him, ‘You cannot be here, you have to leave now,’” Rossi told The Chronicle on Monday.More for youThe young man refused to leave the table, despite multiple requests, Rossi said.Enguillado, the victim’s father, said he had explicitly told his son to remain in the seating area, assuming it was a safe location, while the rest of the family retrieved food from a nearby pizzeria.Enguillado said his son interpreted Rossi’s tone as “aggressive” and racially insensitive. The son recalled Rossi telling him, “You don’t even belong here in the first place,” according to Enguillado.“When you say that to a person of Asian descent, with everything that is going on, how do you think people will perceive it?” said Enguillado, whose family identifies as Filipino. “It’s the way you say it, the manner, the tone.”Minutes later, Enguillado got a call from his son. He rushed over from the pizzeria, he said.“I was running toward them and, to my shock, that’s when I saw the patron punch my son out of nowhere,” Enguillado told The Chronicle. “The guy just straight out punched him in the face.”Rossi denied that his comments to the victim were racially insensitive and said the bar does not condone violence or racism.Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.The victim “was being obstinate, but he did not deserve to get punched,” Rossi said.Rossi said he intervened to protect the victim and yelled at Lawlor.Sofia Enguillado, the victim’s mother, showing images of her son’s bruised face. She also detailed the attack, which she characterized as racially motivated, on Facebook. Within days, the TikTok video went viral, prompting social media users to bombard Gino &amp; Carlo with negative Yelp reviews.Following a brigade of negative reviews, Yelp disabled the ability to post reviews for the bar, citing an increase of public attention.The Chronicle’s attempts to contact Lawlor were unsuccessful.Adam Lobsinger, spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, said Monday officers arrested one suspect for assault and battery following a commotion outside Gino &amp; Carlo Cocktail Lounge shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Friday.Lobsinger said police do not have evidence to indicate that the incident was motivated by hate.Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

An 18-year-old man, whose family said in a viral TikTok video that he was the victim of an anti-Asian attack in San Francisco, was punched in the face by a retired professional heavyweight boxer, a witness told The Chronicle.The owner of Gino &amp; Carlo Cocktail Lounge, Frank Rossi, witnessed the incident on Friday and told The Chronicle that the attacker was Pat Lawlor, a regular bar patron who is a retired professional boxer known during his fighting career as theLawlor punched the young man who would not leave the seating area of the bar, according to Rossi and the young man’s father,...

public

Nora Mishanec

Delivering the Bay Area’s best journalism every day. Subscribe and support the newsroom: http://SFChronicle.com/subscribe

Victim in alleged anti-Asian attack at S.F. bar was punched by a retired pro boxer, witnesses say

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS