A man lurked outside Beto's Pizza on South 16th Street near Greenfield Avenue for more than 30 minutes before rushing up behind a customer named Larry as he left the restaurant, punching and kicking him repeatedly as he shouted profanities. Police say Larry was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and the suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. He has not been charged, and police say they hope to make an arrest.
According to WISN, the confrontation began inside the restaurant, where witnesses said the suspect made inappropriate sexual comments to a young woman working there. Customers confronted him over the behavior and eventually escorted him out of the restaurant, but he did not leave the area. Instead, surveillance video reviewed by the outlet shows him waiting outside before rushing the victim as he exited on Wednesday.
Police arrived promptly after the attack, interviewed witnesses, and collected the surveillance footage as part of their investigation, per the same account. The suspect was described as wearing a black t-shirt and was last seen running off after the beating. Beto's Pizza has chosen not to show the suspect's face publicly because no charges have been filed against him.
Owner Turns to Facebook to Track Down Attacker
Restaurant owner Jair Varela posted the surveillance video himself on Facebook, urging South Side neighbors to help identify the man before police could file charges, according to Hispanic News Network U.S.A. Varela opened Beto's Pizza in November 2020 and named the family-run restaurant in memory of his late brother, per Urban Milwaukee. The shop has since become known locally for specialty pies like its Al Pastor and Birria pizzas and even expanded with a second location in Racine.
Marty Calderon, an evangelical pastor who founded God Touch Milwaukee and leads work with the Milwaukee Promise Keepers, did not hide his anger over the assault. “It's a tragedy. I was upset, I was angered,” Calderon said, according to WISN. He described Larry as a well-liked neighborhood resident he has known for years, calling him one of the nicest guys around.
Calderon also said the Facebook video was gaining traction and could help police track down the attacker. His organization, the Milwaukee Promise Keepers, operates as a violence-intervention team across five designated high-crime zones in the city, according to CBS 58. Community groups like his often work alongside police to calm neighborhood tensions and prevent retaliation after violent incidents, a dynamic described more broadly by The Trace.
A Corridor Under Renewed Scrutiny
Beto's Pizza sits on the commercial strip that Business Improvement District #38 renamed from the Cesar E. Chavez Drive BID to the Sixteenth Street BID in a March vote covered by Hoodline. South 16th Street and Cesar E. Chavez Drive refer to the same major South Side corridor, and this is not the first violent incident to draw attention to the stretch this year. In April, a pre-dawn attack near 16th and Becher streets left a 26-year-old man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
The restaurant falls within Milwaukee Police Department District 2, headquartered on West Lincoln Avenue under Captain Erin Mejia, which designated Walker's Point and Clarke Square as priority areas in its 2025 Violent Crime Reduction Plan, according to the City of Milwaukee. Citywide violent crime dropped 18% in the first quarter of 2025, per police statistics reported by WTMJ, though District 2 has continued to face localized property crimes and violent disputes despite the broader downward trend.
What Comes Next for the Investigation
Once identified, the suspect could face significant criminal exposure. Under Wisconsin Statute 940.19, battery causing substantial bodily harm can be prosecuted as a Class I felony carrying up to 3.5 years in prison, while battery resulting in great bodily harm rises to a Class H felony punishable by as much as 6 years in state prison, according to Grieve Law. Police have characterized Larry's injuries as serious, a description that could factor into how prosecutors ultimately charge the case.
For now, the man remains at large and uncharged, and investigators are relying partly on the video Varela shared to generate tips from the neighborhood. Calderon, who has spent years supporting crime victims in the area, said he hopes the public attention helps bring the case to a close for Larry and for the small business that became the scene of the attack.
