A man who was allegedly beaten up along with his wife and their two friends outside of one of South Philadelphia's iconic cheesesteak shops, says their attackers claimed they were part of ISIS.
Patrick Kane, 31, told NBC10 he, his wife and his friends went to Geno's Steaks along S 9th Street around 4:15 a.m. back on June 11 after attending a wedding. Kane says one of his friends asked a group of five men for a cigarette. That's when one of the men allegedly snapped.
"The guy just like snapped," Kane said. "Started yelling and cursing at them. [He said], 'You don't know who we are! Don't mess with us! We belong to ISIS!'"
Kane said the man then confronted his wife.
"He got in her face and said, 'What makes you think I'm joking? Then he put his hands on her and pushed her across the sidewalk."
Kane told NBC10 he then jumped in to protect her but the group of men attacked him, slapped his wife and beat one of his other friends as well.
"I got hit in the nose," Kane said. "I got hit in the back of the head."
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Philadelphia Police released surveillance video showing the group of suspects moments before the attack, which they described as "too graphic to show." In the video you see five guys – three wearing sports caps with stickers still on the brims – and a woman – believed to be a getaway driver – purchasing cheesesteaks.
After the beating the suspects jumped into two vehicles with New Jersey plates – a dark-colored pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle, said investigators.
Police didn’t reveal exact descriptions of the assault suspects who all appeared to be young men.
Kane was badly bruised after the incident and shared photos with NBC10 of his injuries moments after the beating. More than a week later, he still has a faint scar under his right eye. Kane said he was especially taken aback by the "ISIS" remark.
"You can't really take things lightly anymore," Kane said. "Even if you sit there and say it's a joke, it's not funny."
NBC10 asked police about the alleged "ISIS" comments. Police said they're only investigating the incident as an assault at this time however.
Geno's Steaks called the attack unacceptable.
"We as a company do not condone any type of physical conflict," said a statement from Geno's. "Physical disputes are not acceptable anywhere and should not go without punishment. We are asking our patrons and the public to contact police if they have any information that will help identify the individuals involved."
Anyone with information on the incident or recognizing any of the suspects is asked to contact Philly Police.
