Sushi biz owner taken into custody after stabbing

The owner of a West End sushi restaurant was taken into custody Monday night after he allegedly stabbed an unruly patron who made a pass at his wife and punched him to the ground.

According to City Manager Charles Theofan, Yun Wu, the owner of Japan Sushi, at 914 W. Beech St., was celebrating his wife’s birthday late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. A “very” intoxicated man, Timothy McCoy, entered the restaurant, Theofan said, and made a pass at the owner’s wife. When Wu confronted McCoy, Theofan said, McCoy knocked him to the floor.

“The man steps up to defend his wife and gets clocked by the Irish guy and knocked down to the floor,” Theofan said.

McCoy left, but apparently returned several minutes later and stood in front of the restaurant on the street, between Wisconsin Street and Virginia Avenue. At that point, Theofan said, Wu came out of the establishment, brandishing a sushi knife, and after an argument, he stabbed McCoy in the lower back on his right side.

“I heard an argument outside, but it didn’t seem serious enough to grab anyone’s attention at first,” said one witness who asked not to be named. “Then I heard a yell from the guy who got stabbed, and that’s when I knew something was bad.”

McCoy was bleeding profusely, said the witness, who added that he rushed to assist him. “I covered the wound with my own hands,” he said. “It was pretty bad, and I was trying to stop the bleeding.”

McCoy was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital by Long Beach Fire Department ambulance, where he was treated and released. A police official said that his injuries were not life-threatening.

After the altercation, Wu went back into the restaurant, the witness and

Theofan said, and was later questioned by police and taken into custody. He was arraigned in Long Beach City Court Tuesday morning, although it was unclear if he was released on bail.

A police official confirmed that officers were on the scene and arrested Wu within minutes, but made no further comment at press time about specific charges.

Theofan said that while the stabbing may have appeared to be an act of self-defense, Wu should not have gone after McCoy with a knife. “This was not self-defense,” Theofan said. “It was retribution.”

Japan Sushi was closed on Tuesday. Calls to the restaurant were not answered, and Wu could not be reached for comment.

Theofan said that McCoy is an Irish national, a seasonal worker employed in Long Beach, although Theofan and others said they were not sure where he works. The Herald could not confirm where McCoy had allegedly been drinking before he arrived at Japan Sushi.

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