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An 18-year-old from Doylestown has been arrested and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and other numerous misdemeanor offenses after allegedly stabbing two people inside Deliza’s Pizza on East Butler Avenue in New Britain Borough on Sunday afternoon, according to Central Bucks Regional Police Department.
Panajotis Tafa, of an apartment on North Street, is also charged with possessing an instrument of crime with intent to use criminally, three counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another person, three counts of simple assault, and three counts of reckless endangerment of another person, all misdemeanors, according to the criminal complaint.
Tafa remains at Bucks County jail in lieu of 10% of $50,000 cash bail, following his Monday night arraignment before Magisterial District Judge Christopher E. O’Neill, according to the criminal docket.
Central Bucks Regional Police were dispatched to Deliza’s Pizza, 460 E. Butler Ave., at 2:55 p.m. Sunday for a report of a stabbing assault, police said. On arrival, police found one alleged victim with a laceration to his left arm, per the complaint.
The alleged victim recounted that he was at the pizza shop, when he saw two people he recognized walk in – Tafa and a juvenile. Police said the juvenile started arguing with one of the employees, another juvenile, who was behind the counter.
Police said the juvenile then walked around the counter and started a fight with the employee, striking him in the face. The employee fought back, punching the juvenile, knocking him to the ground, police said.
The fight was taken to the ground, at which point Tafa allegedly intervened with a knife, according to the complaint. The alleged victim grabbed Tafa, preventing him from assaulting the employee, but he slashed the alleged victim’s left arm with the knife, police said.
At that point, Tafa and his juvenile friend left the pizza shop in an unknown direction, police said. Witnesses at the scene told police Tafa had a knife and cut the alleged victim, per the report.
One witness, police said, told them Tafa had allegedly threatened him, the alleged victim and another witness by waving the knife at them, stating, “If anyone tries to do anything, I’ll stab/poke you.”
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 14 at 1 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage, according to the court docket.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
