Recently, a former Indiana high school wrestler managed to take down an attacker in an Indianapolis Subway. As Gabriel Pitzulo walked into the restaurant to grab a sandwich on his lunch break, he encountered a violent individual attacking a female employee.
The young man described the scene as being loud and chaotic when he entered the establishment. “It was just another normal day at work, I was going to my local Subway where I go all the time,” Pitzulo said. “As I walk in, it was pretty hectic. People yelling, it was kind of loud.”
In the attack, which was captured on video, Pitzulo claimed the suspect threw something at an employee before spitting on her. After that, he decided to take action into his own hands, tackling the suspect and holding him to the ground while the police were called to the scene.
“I’d heard it from outside. I’d walked in and he was visibly assaulting, you know, throwing stuff. I believe I saw him spit at her. And how I was raised man, you don’t do that stuff,” he added during an interview with WRTV.
“She didn’t seem like she can defend herself in any such way. And I was afraid that he was either leaving to get something to arm her she had said that he had threatened to kill her and I did combat sports for quite a while. So I was completely controlling. I didn’t want to punch him or anything. I didn’t want to hurt him too bad. So I just held the man,” Pitzulo further noted.
“It wasn’t cool,” Pitzulo said, noting there were “some words back and forth” between him and the suspect before the authorities arrived to arrest the man. “The cops got there. I helped him put the cuffs on, and they thanked me and told me what I did was very brave,” he added.
Pitzulo currently works as a welder and hadn’t considered pursuing a career in law enforcement before the incident at the Indianapolis Subway. He further noted that amid the constant attacks on men regarding supposed “toxic masculinity,” he wants to spread a message that men should still stand up for those around them in times of need.
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“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.
The manager of Subway expressed his gratitude for Gabriel standing up for his employees during such a dangerous moment. “Luckily, he was here at the right time at the right place. And I’m very thankful that my employees weren’t damaged,” the manager said. Definitely a hero like you don’t have to be a ordinary person. You can be here anytime anywhere wherever you go.”
Ultimately, Pitzulo gave “all glory to God” following the incident. Watch WRTV news coverage of the Indianapolis Subway attack below, where Gabriel bravely defended an innocent woman, setting an example for men across the country.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.