St. Pete Beach bar owner severely injured in attack, deputies search for suspects
The Brief
The owner of Nikko's Dog Bar in St. Pete Beach was severely injured after being attacked during a fight he was trying to break up.
The fight erupted inside the bar when a small group began assaulting members of a bachelor party.
The owner was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after suffering severe injuries, including shattered bones in his foot and a concussion.
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Tony Campetti, the owner of Nikko's Dog Bar, is still coming to terms with a violent incident that occurred at his establishment on May 4.
The backstory
A fight erupted inside the bar when a small group began assaulting members of a bachelor party. Campetti and a friend attempted to intervene, but he was attacked from behind.
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"One of the guys came from outside to inside and just started punching one of the guys in the back of the head from the bachelor party," Campetti recounted.
The situation escalated quickly, resulting in Campetti being knocked to the ground.
"The husband or boyfriend came from behind. And then next thing you know, I was on my back in a pool of blood," he said.
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Campetti was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after suffering severe injuries, including shattered bones in his foot and a concussion.
"They said I needed nine staples in my head. They had to do four stitches on the inside of my mouth. My jaw was sore for about a week," he explained.
Dig deeper
In a stroke of luck for investigators, one of the individuals involved left their credit card at the bar. Detectives have subpoenaed the person's bank records and are reviewing surveillance footage to identify those responsible.
The timing of the attack couldn't have been worse for Campetti, a father of two, whose daughter is set to get married in a few weeks.
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"I got to walk her down the aisle like this. It hurts. It's my baby," he lamented.
Despite the physical and emotional toll, Campetti is determined to be present for his daughter's wedding, albeit with the aid of an iWalk 3.0, a hands-free mobility device.
"It's basically a peg leg that enables me to be hands-free, you know? But yeah, it's just tough," he said.
Local perspective
In his 11 years of running Nikko's Dog Bar, Campetti has never experienced anything like this.
"People go out, have a good time. I get it, but to be able to get to the point where they're looking for trouble for no reason, yeah, to me, that's a person that shouldn't even go out in public. Stay home," he stated.
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In the wake of the attack, the local restaurant and bar community in St. Pete Beach has rallied around Campetti, raising nearly $20,000 to assist with his medical expenses.
"It's amazing, blows my mind, you know, the local businesses who stepped up, friends of mine. It's touching, you know, that people actually care," Campetti expressed.
As the investigation continues, Campetti remains grateful for the support from his community and hopeful for justice.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen.
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