LINCOLN PARK — The owner of the wrestling-themed restaurant The Squared Circle put his wrestling knowledge to use to stop a man with a gun last weekend.
Lee Varon, the husband of former WWE superstar Victoria, Lisa Marie Varon, disarmed the man and body-slammed him to the floor inside the restaurant's kitchen Saturday night.
Police said Arnez Harper, 18, of the 100 block of North Dearborn, was charged with aggravated use of a weapon, a felony, as well as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and possession of a controlled substance.
Lee Varon, manager of the restaurant at 2418 N. Ashland Ave., said the suspect came into the crowded restaurant about 9:30 p.m. and was acting extremely suspicious.
At one point the man entered the women's bathroom, and when he came out and made his way toward the kitchen, Lee Varon confronted him.
Lee Varon said the intruder told him he was running from men with guns, but Varon said he noticed the intruder reach into his pants.
"I wanted to keep an eye on his hands, and they were going into his pants, so I wrapped him up," Lee Varon said. "I was pretty calm with him because there's an evident size difference."
Paul Biasco talks about how the husband of a professional wrestler disarmed a gunman:
Lee Varon said the suspect continued to scream, "I'm not going to prison" during the arrest, and during the struggle the restaurateur heard something metal clank against the sink.
That's when he realized the man was armed, Lee Varon said.
Lee Varon (DNAinfo/Paul Biasco)
Lisa Marie Varon, Lee Varon's wife (Twitter/@REALLiSAMARiE)
Lee Varon told the chef to grab the gun, and the chef grabbed it with a rag to keep his own fingerprints off the handgun, Lee Varon said.
"The entire time this kid was fighting me, biting, scratching, head-butting, yelling 'I'm not going to prison,'" Lee Varon said.
After the chef grabbed the weapon, Lee Varon slammed the suspect to the ground and pinned him there as he yelled and kicked until police arrived.
"I basically sat on him until the police came," he said. "The response to that is don't bring a gun into a crowded restuarant."
Police arrested Harper, who later was charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to TMZ.
Arnez Harper (Chicago Police Department)
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