PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local bar is at risk of shutting down, after it’s owner was attacked and hospitalized earlier this month.
The owner of Nikko's Dog Bar on St. Pete Beach said it all happened on May fourth.
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"When you've spent eleven years with your fiancé building something that's great and people can enjoy…to knowing you might have to walk away from it, that is heartbreaking," said Tony Campetti, owner of Nikko's Dog Bar.
Early this month, Campetti's life was uprooted.
"This was an aggressive group looking to be destructive," said Campetti.
He said a group of people attacked another group who were celebrating a bachelor party.
His coworker tried to break up the fight, but he said soon after he had to intervene.
Next thing he knew, he blacked out and woke up injured.
"Four stitches on my mouth, nine staples in my head, I have seven screws, two plates, two anchors, some stitches in my foot…I can't walk on it, can't work for two months," said Campetti.
Campetti said the people who hurt him got away, and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing.
"It was a little shocking to me…we've been here for eleven years now, and we don't get fights here," said Campetti.
Campetti is the main bartender at Nikko's.
Now that he can't work and his medical bills are piling up, he's concerned about his business.
"Especially going into slow season and hurricane season…it's scary. It's very scary," he said.
The community is helping.
"We are a very tight-knit community…we love our community and we know mostly everybody in it," said Sian Talley, Manager at Shrimpy's, a restaurant near Nikko's Dog Bar.
She started a fundraiser to help Nikko's stay open.
"It really matters that we stick together in times like this," said Talley.
Campetti said he's thankful for the support and hopes to be back serving his customers soon.
"Especially with the local people…we've become friends, we are a small community, we all look out for each other down here," he said.
If you'd like to donate to Campetti's medical bills and help the bar stay open, you can click here.
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