Violence erupted outside a popular Regent Square bar when Owen VanDivier, after being ejected from multiple establishments for excessive intoxication and using racial slurs, allegedly stabbed a bartender. The incident occurred outside Murphy's Tap Room, a spot nestled among the eateries and watering holes lining South Braddock Avenue. WPXI reported that Vandivier was first thrown out of D's Six Pax and Dawgs and the Hemlock House for his behavior. Upon stumbling to Murphy's, his continued use of racial slurs caused a confrontation.
According to eyewitness accounts, the situation escalated when Vandiver was confronted by patrons who warned him to desist, prompting him to brandish a knife. To defuse the fraught scenario, Murphy's bartender emerged from the bar, firearm in hand. "Witnesses attempted to disarm VanDivier, but he stabbed the bartender in the arm," as per information by WPXI. Vandiver and a witness also sustained injuries during the struggle that ensued.
The confrontation reached its climax when the bartender, despite sustaining an arm injury, managed to wrestle the knife from Vandiver's grip. Onlookers then restrained the assailant until police arrived at the scene. The bartender received treatment from EMS workers and is expected to recover fully. Vandivier, after being treated for a cut on his hand, faced several charges, including aggravated assault, as detailed by CBS News Pittsburgh.
