Aggravated Assault Case Against Kung Fu Saloon Employee Is Being Dismissed

A Travis County grand jury decided to not indict a Kung Fu Saloon employee on an aggravated assault charge from 2014, reported the Statesman this week. At the time, surveillance video showed patron Joey O’Hare closing his tab at the downtown bar when staffer Robert Giovanni Camillone appeared to grab and lead him out the door, and dropped him to the ground. Following the incident, O’Hare was placed in the Intensive Care Unit and required brain surgery.

Camillone was originally charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony that would carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. According to his attorney, if indicted, the prosecutors would’ve need to show that he wanted to harm O’Hare.

Because of this investigation, Kung Fu was ordered by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to pay a fine of $15,000 when officials discovered it violated regulations by selling booze to a drunk person and not calling the police in the first place.

This was not the first time Kung Fu has been at the center of controversy. Past indiscretions have included other TABC violations, as well as being accused of enforcing a racist dress code.

• Kung Fu Saloon Employee Charged With Assaulting Patron [EATX]
• After Brutal Attack, Austin's Kung Fu Saloon Under TABC Investigation [EATX]
• Video Released of Severe Assault at Austin’s Kung Fu Saloon [EATX]
• Kung Fu bouncer aggravated assault case to be dismissed [Statesman]