Police charge Downtown Pittsburgh Jimmy John's manager as 3rd assailant in employee beating

Police have charged a Jimmy John’s manager with participating in the brutal assault last month of an employee at the sandwich shop’s Downtown Pittsburgh location, accusing him of punching the man at least nine times.

Melvin Robinson, 29, of Penn Hills, is the third man arrested in the attack, which left the victim in critical condition with severe head and body injuries and brain bleeding.

The attack appeared to start over a service dog, Pittsburgh police said.

Police said Tyree Blue-Murphy, 33, of Pittsburgh told them he got into an argument over petting the dog at the eatery and claimed that’s when the victim grabbed him by his dreadlocks, the complaint said.

Video surveillance shows Blue-Murphy and Damon Robinson stomping, kicking, punching and striking the defenseless victim, who police did not name, with a bicycle tire, according to a criminal complaint.

First responders took the victim to UPMC Mercy hospital in critical condition.

The victim’s current health status could not be determined.

A second man, Damon Robinson, 31, also of Pittsburgh, told police he attempted to break up the fight but was struck and began to attack the victim in response.

Further review of video surveillance showed a man, whose clothes that day matched those worn by Melvin Robinson, striking the victim with a closed fist at least nine times, the complaint said.

Police called it “a fury of strikes and blows with both (Melvin Robinson’s) left and right hands.” They said Melvin Robinson also hit the victim “with a flying right-knee strike.”

“It is clear during the assault of Victim #1 that Melvin Robinson conspired with Tyree Blue-Murphy and Damon Robinson to assault Victim #1, even though he claimed to just be breaking up the fight,” police said in the complaint.

Last month, Pittsburgh police charged Blue-Murphy and Damon Robinson with aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy.

Both men remained in the Allegheny County Jail Friday, court records show. Judges have twice denied them bail, calling each defendant “a danger to the community.”

The men’s cases head to Allegheny County Commons Pleas Court in March.

Melvin Robinson — whose relationship, if any, to Damon Robinson was unclear Friday — was charged Jan. 10 with aggravated assault.

He is being held in jail on $25,000 bail, court records show.

Jimmy John’s did not respond Friday to a call or email seeking comment.