Manager fired after Pizza Milano assault caught on video

The man arrested for assaulting a woman at Pizza Milano in Pittsburgh's Uptown neighborhood was a manager at the restaurant, and has been fired, owner Semsi Yilmaz said in a statement Monday.

The incident happened Friday night, and was recorded in a video that has been viewed more than 870,000 times.

Mahmut Yilmaz, 41, of Pittsburgh surrendered to police and faces one count of simple assault and one aggravated assault charge.

“Pizza Milano has a 20-year history of being part of Pittsburgh's Uptown community. That's why what happened this past Friday is so disturbing to me, to our customers and to our employees. After reviewing the videotape, I immediately terminated the manager's employment and condemn his actions in the strongest way possible. Regardless of what led up to the exchange, what he did goes against our policies and my beliefs. It's not the way we run our business, and our customers need to know that. We have cooperated fully with the police investigation from the beginning and will continue to do so,” Semsi Yilmaz said in a statement.

Semsi Yilmaz and Mahmut Yilmaz are not related, according to a spokesman for the restaurant.

The restaurant has been savaged following the viral video, with in-person protests and hundreds of scathing online reviews condemning the manager's actions.

Mahmut Yilmaz allegedly attacked Jade Martin, who suffered a concussion, according to her attorney Todd Hollis.

He is scheduled to appear before Judge Jeffrey Manning on Jan. 25.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.