Competition between two rival pizza joints has escalated into bloody violence with one man ending up in an intensive care unit and another quizzed by cops.
The carnage took place inside and outside newly-opened Daje Pizza on Sydney Road in trendy Brunswick, just outside of Melbourne’s CBD, on Friday night.
Andrea Caroli and his friend could be seen on CCTV footage speaking to two men outside Mr Caroli’s new restaurant.
The video then showed Mr Caroli’s friend step in with a fire extinguisher and blast one of the men in the face before the fracas moved inside.
That man was Lance, owner of rival Leon’s Pizzeria, which has been in business for nine years just a few doors down the street on Sydney Road.
Video inside the shop also showed Mr Caroli’s mate lash out at Lance with a crowbar after he tossed the fire extinguisher back at him.
Lance then unleashed a volley of blows to the man’s head, leaving him bloodied before he was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital with significant head injuries.
Mr Caroli appeared on Nine News the following night, claiming Lance and his son had been trying to run him out of business.
Lance (in blue) wields a chair against another man armed with a crowbar
The man had earlier sprayed pizza shop owner Lance in the face with a fire extinguisher
‘All this because we are competition, they’re scared that they’re going to lose their business,’ he said.
He told the program his friend had jumped in to defend him.
‘My friend was trying to protect me,’ he said. ‘There’s arguing and the guy punched him … it was like horrible. It was a nightmare.’
The fallout has seen Lance’s pizza shop and his Brunswick fish and chip shop, Flakes on Sydney Road, bombarded with negative reviews as locals vowed to boycott them.
Lance told Daily Mail he had been unfairly villainised in the footage broadcast and claimed he had acted entirely in self defence.
Police interviewed him for 90 minutes before releasing him without charge, he said.
‘The police came and I told them my story and they said to me, “Thank you for being honest with your statement. Go home”,’ he said.
‘That’s what the police told me. “We saw the video. Just go home”.’
Andrea Caroli provided CCTV footage of the incident to media
Daje Pizza opened its doors about a week ago in Brunswick
Daje Pizza had spent months preparing to open its doors before the clash erupted within days of it launching.
Lance said he had previously expressed concern over Mr Caroli opening a pizza shop in such close proximity to his.
He claimed Mr Caroli had told him he planned to open a bakery that would shut its doors before his pizza shop even opened.
‘I said, “That’s fine. You can stay until open until midnight, but bring different foods”, then we will all be happy,’ Lance said.
But Lance claimed Mr Caroli misled him and began selling pizzas.
‘The guy said to me, “Oh, it’s a free country. I can do whatever the f*** I want”,’ Lance claimed.
Despite his concerns, Lance said he never threatened or intimidated Mr Caroli leading up to the incident.
Lance claimed his 20-year old son, who works at the pizzeria, had upset Mr Caroli during a petty squabble where his son gave his rival ‘the finger’.
Lance’s Brunswick pizzeria Leon’s has been boycotted by angry locals
‘I said I’d talk to the guy and tell him to calm down,’ Lance said.
He claimed he hoped to assure Mr Caroli that he would speak to his son and ensure both businesses could operate in harmony.
‘I don’t see it as a big deal,’ said Lance. ‘I mean just leave it, the finger is the finger.
‘I said if any words are exchanged or something big [happens], just come and see me and I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.
‘Stay away from him and he’ll stay away from you. You mind your business and we’ll mind our business and that’s the end of the story.’
Lance said the matter was on the cusp of being resolved when Mr Caroli’s mate approached with a fire extinguisher behind his back and proceeded to abuse him.
‘I said, “Who the hell even are you?” and he went, bang, right in my face with the extinguisher,’ he said.
Mr Caroli dismissed his rival’s version of events when approached by the Daily Mail.
‘It’s bulls***,’ he said. ‘(His son) has been threatening me for months.
‘His son was trying to fight me every time he saw me … I don’t want to talk about this. Sorry. Police are getting involved so I’m sick of this stuff.’
The Brunswick fish and chips shop has also felt the brunt from angry locals
Lance said his shops have been hut by ‘fake’ reviews since the television report was aired
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Lance insisted the edited CCTV footage aired on the local news had falsely portrayed him as the aggressor.
‘I didn’t have a weapon on me,’ he said. ‘I didn’t have a knife. I went to have a general conversation but his friend walks out with a fire extinguisher and a crowbar.
‘Where is he going with all these weapons? What do you expect will happen when you spray someone in the face three times with a fire extinguisher?
‘Do you think that person is going to be quiet?’
Lance said he would not pursue charges against the man he claims assaulted him with the weapons, despite suffering a painful injury to his hand from the crowbar strike.
As the fallout continues, Lance said both of his businesses have been boycotted by the local community, with his wife and workers now the targets of verbal harassment.
Lance said he migrated to Australia from Albania 20 years ago and had never had any problems with the law.
But with his reputation and businesses in ruin, he wonders what lies ahead.
‘The damage is done,’ he said.
