Man Slashed in Back at Upper West Side Pizzeria

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A man is facing charges after a stabbing that occurred Monday night at an Upper West Side pizzeria.

Brandon Monegro, 19, has been charged with assault with the intent to cause physical injury with a weapon, a class D felony, according to court documents. Monegro allegedly slashed a 41-year-old man in the back after he intervened in a verbal argument Monegro was having with the owner of Mamma's Famous Pizza & Burgers on Broadway and West 85th Street, police told Patch.

The argument reportedly started over a bottle of water. The owner of the pizza shop, Giannis Manouilidis, refused to accept a ripped bill Monegro was trying to use to buy the water, the Daily News reported. The argument eventually spilled out onto the street. That's when Manouilidis' friend, Petridis Trianhtillo, got in the middle and was stabbed by Monegro, reported the Daily News. Later Monday night officers arrested Monegro, police said.

The victim was treated at Mount Sinai St. Luke's and is expected to recover.

[Photo: Google Maps street view circa September 2015]