Ann Arbor restaurant employee uses baseball bat to ward off man wielding knife

New York Pizza Depot

The exterior of the New York Pizza Depot in downtown Ann Arbor on August 10, 2022. Ryan SunRyan Sun

ANN ARBOR, MI – An Ann Arbor restaurant employee used a baseball bat to defend himself early Saturday against a man with a knife.

Jason Michael Ross, 48, was arraigned on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon Oct. 19 by 14A-1 District Court Magistrate Elisha Fink after he allegedly threatened a man with the knife in downtown Ann Arbor.

Ross was inside New York Pizza Depot, 605 E. William St., around 1 a.m. wielding the weapon, said Chris Page, spokesperson for Ann Arbor police. The staff member, a 45-year-old man, armed himself with a baseball bat and approached Ross, leading to a verbal altercation. The employee then escorted Ross outside.

The two got into a verbal altercation outside, leading Ross to pull a knife out of a bag and threaten the employee, police said. The employee used the bat to defend himself and knocked the knife out of the other man’s hand. Another staff member then grabbed the knife from the ground.

Police arrived shortly after and arrested Ross. No one was injured.

New York Pizza Depot did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ross was given a $25,000 cash or surety bond. He is currently being held in the Washtenaw County Jail and will next appear in court Oct. 31.

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Jordyn Pair

Stories by Jordyn Pair

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