News

NEWS OF THE WEIRD: Angry patron holds up pizza staff, dines and leaves

January 21, 2004

EDMONTON, Alberta—A man accused of holding up a pizzeria after being told his pizza would take 45 minutes to be delivered told a court police arrested the wrong person.

According to The Edmonton Journal, Ashish Khera, a cook at Homemade Steak and Pizza, testified that on Feb. 10, 2002, customer Jahanzeb Babur got angry on the telephone when told how long it would take to get his pizza.

"He got mad and started swearing. I got mad and started swearing, too," Khera said.

About 2:30 a.m., Khera said Babur came to the restaurant, produced a handgun and ordered three employees to put their hands up. Khera knew the 28-year-old man from serving him in the past.

Babur asked for the person he'd spoken to on the telephone, but Khera told him it was a delivery driver who'd left.

After a few minutes, Babur phoned two teenagers to join him at the pizzeria; both arrived bearing handguns. Khera served the trio drinks from the bar and made them a large vegetarian pizza, which, ironically, Babur offered to buy.

According to Khera's testimony, Babur then asked his companions "whether he should shoot all of us ... so there wouldn't be a witness." Though Babur did hit Khera behind the ear with the butt of his gun, no one was shot, and the three men left.

Babur was arrested the next day and charged with making death threats, assault with a weapon and unlawful confinement.

When cross-examined by defense lawyer Peter Royal, Khera admitted he and other staffers originally told police that they only had trouble with a couple of drunks because they were afraid the men would come back.

Babur and his friends testified they were together at Babur's home playing cards and watching television until 4 a.m. the day of the incident.

Final arguments in the case will be heard Jan. 22.