Unruly customer breaks bartender’s jaw at central Pa. restaurant
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A man broke the jaw of a bartender at a popular Lebanon County restaurant and assaulted two other female employees after they asked him to leave earlier this week, the owner told CBS 21.
The owner of Downtown Lounge on the 700 block of Cumberland Street said two men came into the bar from an upstairs apartment and soon caused a disruption, CBS reported.
The owner — who was not named in the news report — said “three bartenders then kindly asked them to leave, even offering to have their tabs covered if they exited the business,” CBS said.
As the men were being escorted out, one of the men turned around and started throwing punches. The bar owner told CBS that one of the women suffered severe facial injuries, including a broken jaw. She will have to have some of her teeth removed.
Lebanon city police said officers were called to the business around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Police said they later identified one of the men responsible for the assaults as Ricardo Berrios-Hernandez, 27, of Hometown, Ill., and charged him with aggravated assault. He remains at large as of Friday.
The Downtown Lounge posted on Facebook that the restaurant would be closed for Wednesday night after the incident. Management did not respond to PennLive’s request for additional information.
A GoFundMe was created to help cover the bartenders’ medical expenses. As of Friday afternoon, the fundraiser has raised more than $3,700 toward its $10,000 goal.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and it is possible additional people could be charged. They are asking anyone with tips or information on Berrios-Hernandez’s whereabouts to call Lebanon police at 717-272-6611 or submit a tip through CrimeWatch.