NEW YORK – A dog owner is charged with attempted murder after he and his pit bull allegedly attacked a pizza shop employee in Manhattan.

It happened at Roma Pizza on Fifth Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets in the Flatiron District.

Manager was attacked after telling a customer that dogs were not allowed in the store

According to the store’s day manager, store employees said a customer came in with an unleashed pit bull shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday.

“The guy told him he couldn’t have dogs because of the health department. Then the guy just got mad. He didn’t listen. He just sat there,” the day manager told CBS News New York.

He said the situation escalated with the dog’s owner, identified by police as 35-year-old Tyshaun Watson.

“He went behind the counter and just started punching, punching, punching. Then the guy fell to the ground. He got on top of him and choked him, then the dog started running, and when he went to the ground, the dog started running. So it’s him and the dog,” the day manager said.

The pizzeria’s employee – 50-year-old Zakaria El Sherif, who works as the branch’s night manager – was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition. Police said he was unconscious after the attack.

“Very good person, very friendly, always speaks nicely to the customers,” said the day manager.

“The people who work there are really nice,” said neighbor Stephen Sonkin. “We’re on Fifth Avenue, right? When I walk along here, I feel like everyone is very civilized and I never really see many pit bulls running around.”

Watson is now charged with attempted murder and assault. The dog is in the care of the city’s animal control department.