Former Pittsburgh boxing champ caught on camera throwing woman to ground

CRAFTON, Pa. — A former Pittsburgh lightweight boxing champion from McKees Rocks is facing charges after surveillance video allegedly caught him throwing a woman to the ground, police said.

According to witnesses, Paul Spadafora, 40, was belligerent at Redstone Tavern in Crafton Monday afternoon. The witnesses said it wasn't clear if he was drunk or under the influence of something, but they said something wasn't right. %

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The victim told police she left the bar, and when she came back, someone had drank her beer.

“When she asked for another glass, Spadafora grabbed the hat off of her head and threw it, saying, ‘Who the (expletive) are you?’” the criminal complaint said.

The 63-year-old woman was able to get away and went outside to call police.

Crafton Police Chief Mark Sumpter said surveillance video from the nearby Crafton Beverage Center allegedly shows Spadafora confronting the woman outside Redstone Tavern and throwing her to the ground. %

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“’The Pittsburgh Kid’ has a history. We all know that. But I have to tell you, you cannot just believe the tape you are watching. There's a lot more to the story,” Spadafora attorney, Phil DiLucente, said Friday.

A witness told police Spadafora then went back to the sidewalk and began laughing, the complaint said.

“While there's video, there's also a lot of witnesses. Certain witnesses have chosen to speak so far, but there's a lot of witnesses that still remain to be heard,” DiLucente said. “There's two sides to every story, and we are just in the first round of this fight.”

Police said the woman was treated at the scene for hand and knee injuries but was not taken to a hospital.

The owner of Redstone Tavern told Channel 11 News that Spadafora had been banned from the bar because of an incident in October, but he somehow managed to get inside Monday.

Spadafora was charged Thursday morning with simple assault and harassment.

Cox Media Group