SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Multiple people have been arrested in connection with a deadly bar fight in Old Town Scottsdale earlier this month.
Around 2 a.m. on October 11, officers responded to Pattie’s First Ave Lounge near Scottsdale Road and First Avenue, where Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola was found unconscious on a sidewalk.
The 29-year-old victim later died at a hospital from his injuries.
Investigators learned from people at the scene that there was an argument between multiple people, which turned into a physical assault.
Police say Pizzitola was hit in the head and fell to the ground, and the other people involved left the scene.
The police department had put out a call for the community to reach out with tips that could lead to solving the case.
Scottsdale police have since reported that 24-year-old Drew Meneses, 27-year-old Julius Husser, 26-year-old Tony Becker, 23-year-old Mark Whitford, and 27-year-old Krista Molina were taken into custody on Wednesday.
Meneses was booked into jail on a second-degree murder charge.
According to police documents, three people were in a group that was asked to leave Patti's due to unruly behavior.
The trio was under an awning to avoid the rain while waiting for a ride from a rideshare company when one of the men bumped into a woman in another group and apologized, police say.
The woman and four men with her then reportedly engaged the trio in an argument.
Police say the trio started to walk away to get to their ride, and they were followed by the larger group. One of the men, identified by police as Meneses, “blindsided and punched” Pizzitola, knocking him unconscious.
Police say the group then started attacking the people who were with Pizzitola.
Cell phone video reportedly captured some of the incident, according to officials.
The investigation is ongoing.
