A man armed with a knife and walking a dog on a leash chased a chef at a Southern California pizza restaurant and tried to light him on fire before attacking another man in a chaotic confrontation caught on camera, authorities said Tuesday.
Part of the bizarre altercation Sunday afternoon was captured on camera at Allegro Pizza in the 400 block of East Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks. Deputies responded to the restaurant after a report of a man armed with a kitchen knife throwing lighter fluid on an employee.
The employee was a chef preparing vegetables in the kitchen before the business opened. The man walked into the kitchen through a back door.
"He threw some fuel, and he thought he was joking," said owner Raul Ferrero. "He smelled gasoline and thought, oh my God."
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The unprovoked attack took another turn when the man tried to light the employee on fire and chased him through the restaurant, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. The employee eventually escaped out a rear door.
The assault continued when the attacker chased the chef into the parking lot. A second victim identified by the owner as a restaurant regular tried to intervene, but he also was squirted with lighter fluid. The man fought off the attacker, and deputies arrived to take the suspect into custody, authorities said.
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The suspect was hospitalized with injuries suffered during the assaults. Robert Haight, 61, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other counts.
It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. Details about a motive for the attacks were not immediately available.
The two victims, 28- and 51-year-old men, were not seriously injured.
